Heartbreaker
by Laylaandotherassotedlovesongs
Summary: Natsu is instead found by Pretch and not Makarov. Natsu is sent under the order of Hades must infiltrate the fairytsil guild and try to tear it down. And goes on many adventures with them, and in the midst he finds love, and Heartbreak. This is a Natza fanfic. This is M rated due to language, and adult themes. Natsu is stronger and is smart. Enjoy the Story.
1. Night Prowler

Introduction : Chapter 1 : Night Prowler

X384, A rural mountain village

Under the cover of night, a thunderous roar erupted over the crackling night sky. A silhouette shown through the moonlit clouds. The giant shadow it cast had fear taking hold of the denizens of the rural mountain village. Despair and pain capturing the hearts and minds. The monster of black and blue flew below the clouds and at that moment revealed its scaled body, as it then blasted a powerful torrent of blue flame at the village.

Upon impact, the village became a dead zone, full of the screams of agony and death ringing through the ears of every man, women, and child. The sound of crunching as the wooden building fell scorched onto the ground, and as the beast ate the bodies that were freshly greeted with the plague of death. The crackling of thunder and the pouring of rain only helped to stop the people of their will and rob them of their life. And among the midst of the screaming chaos, a black haired boys on his knees, was holding the body of his younger brother. As he caressed his pink locks of hair, he sobbed through clenched teeth. Trying to fight the pain but to no avail. As the tears crept down his checks from his glassy bloodshot eyes. He spoke.

"I swear," he gasped out. "I will bring you back." He paused as he saw the monster fly away into the night, like a hawk. "No matter the cost."

* * *

July 7, X777, Random cave in Fiore

As light crept under the eyelids of a pink haired boy, he started to stir out from under the trance of sleep. As he lifted his eyelids and raised his heavy head, he looked around confused. " Igneel?" He cried out hoping to hear a response in return. As he lumbered to his feet, he thought the current situation. He swore that he didn't here Igneel get up this morning but he could not know for sure.

Maybe he was just out to gather food for breakfast, but he would have told me something before his departure. The boy pondered the idea that Igneel just up and left, but shook the thought of his head.

The boy decided that the best course of action would be to wait for Igneel's return, and so therefore waited in the cave.

* * *

July 8, X777, The next day

By the next morning, the boy had had enough of this waiting game, he was starving and Igneel was gone. So he decided to forge on through the forest, the familiar smell of the cedars and pine making him feel comfortable and at peace. The forest was filled wit pine and cedar and to the boy the musky smell was pleasant to him. As he continued on through the forest after a few hours, he heard shuffling through the bushes and made sure to quickly sharpen his senses to the possible perceived threat.

And just then after a brief moment of standing in anticipation, a lizard came scurrying out of the bush and ran past the boy. The boy sighed, thinking that there might have been an actual fight. " Of course it was just a lizard, it's never a monster." He put on a bored face and walked in no general direction. Shrugging the experience as just bad luck, he had fought many beasts in the past when Igneel was training him.

Damn, the boy thought. Igneel, where did you go off to. He was down trodden at the thought of his foster father just up and abandoning him like this. Truly he knew that Igneel must have had his reasons for his absence, but the thought still stung deeper than he thought it would. But I won't shed tear, I'm stronger than that.

In his mind he knew he couldn't stay here since Igneel was gone, he would have to find a human village to stay for a little while. But at the same time he was wary of going due to the warnings Igneel had told him about humans. And there ability to turn on each other. But he knew they weren't all savages, they were just sometimes unrefined.

After a few more minutes, seemingly out of nowhere, the boy felt an immense magical presence through the forest and it was moving. It was not Igneel, he could tell the magic was. Different.

The boy lead on through the brush to try and find out what he was feeling in the distance. He started to run as he approached the source of the magic. The boy, not sure as to was he was about to see, was for sure that whatever it was. It was too powerful to handle, so he hoped that the target was not hostile towards him. He was almost tempted to flee and not make contact, but this itching curiosity could not be shaken off from him. He had to investigate, for his own sanity.

Finally after what seemed like a never ending chase, he went through the last remaining branches and his behind a bush almost immediately after seeing an old man standing in a small field opening. What he saw confused and gave him more questions to solve. It was on old man, wearing strange getup. Why was he here? He must be a mage to have magical power like this, a strong one at that. But just why was he here? I've never seen him before. But while the boy was deep in thought, the old man spoke. " How long will you continue to hide in the cover of those bushes young one." He spoke in a calm but stern demeanor.

The boy thought what the best course of action would be at the moment, and so he stood up from behind the large green fern and walked toward the elder mage.

Making sure to observe the old man for any chance of attack. It always helped to have heightened senses in combat situations.

Amazing, thought the old man, as he measured up the magic power of the boy in front of him. He has never felt such magical prowess from one so young before. Realizing that they had been standing in silence for the past couple seconds. He decided it best to say something. And so he coughed into his fist and stroked his white mustache.

"What are you doing in such a remote place brat." The white haired old man spoke abrasively while stroking his mustache once again waiting for an answer. The boy grew a tick mark on his forehead in annoyance for being called a brat by the old man. But calmed himself before answering slowly, I could ask the same of you old geezer." He remarked much to the aggravation of the elder, he scowled for only a split second before returning to his previously stoic face.

" But to answer your question, I was looking for someone; someone dear to me." The boy started with a bored expression across his face. To this the old man did not know how to respond to the to the boy, But what he knew for sure that this boy was very interesting. And would make a good addition into his guild. And he uttered to the boy a proposition.

" Well boy, if you would like, I would allow you to join me and my guild. And maybe along the way, you'll come across the person you are searching for. " The old man hoped that the boy would comply. He knew that with proper training this boy could be formed into a far

more potent wizard. His thoughts however were interrupted by the boy, " What do I get out of joining you." He stated with fire in his eyes as he expectantly awaited an answer from the elder.

" You would gain not only companions at arms but also the guidance to bring you to a more acute level of wizarding prowess." The old man was sure that these promises would hopefully pursued this young man on his way. Just then The old Man remembered he had never asked of this boys name. " May I ask what your name is young man?", Asked the elder. The pinkete weighed his option, he was not yet sure whether he could trust this man or not. But in the end gave in and started.

"My name you ask," he snarkily replied. "Yes son, your name," the old man cursing this child under his breath for being such a little brat. Which did not go unnoticed by the boy. "My name is Natsu Dragneel, nice to meet you," Natsu stuck out his hand as if to be used as bait. The old man the spoke in an equally calm voice. "You may call me Hades", said the elder as he returned an firm handshake to Natsu and then gave him a smirk.

Just then Hades noticed that this boy's clothes were in shambles, the exception being one white scarf that hung tied around his neck. " Come, lets gets get you something to eat," and with one swift motion Hades made an about face and walked into the forest with Natsu following in suit.

Natsu was still on the edge to see if he could truly trust this man that he has agreed to become a member in his guild. But at least he had someone that could watch over him in Igneel's stead, come to think of it this had been his first human interaction, and to that he felt relieved that he found another wizard was to him quite a relief. Natsu realized that he had been too deep in thought and saw that he lagging behind Hades, he lightly jogged up to Hades. "Hey old man, how long are we going to be walking for? Where are we going anyway?" Natsu asked, the curiosity was starting to get to him.

Hades frowned at being called old man, even if it was true. " We are headed to the guilds headquarters, which happens to be an airship. Natsu stared in awe as he saw the ship landed in the forest clearing and how it glistened in the sun like a radiating beacon. " How could a ship fly, I thought only dragons and birds could fly." To say Natsu was dumbfounded was an understatement. " Its of no concern to you at the moment" Hades told a disappointed Natsu who fumed at not being told how it that was the day Natsu's life was changed forever as Hades spoke those six words.

"Natsu Dragneel, welcome to Grimoire Heart."

* * *

X776, One year earlier, Tower of Heaven

The clanking of hammers could be heard all around the secluded Island, as well as the screaming of slaves being beaten and tortured by the black cultists. One little girl with scarlet hair was crying in her cell, she had just lost her right eye threw torcher. Not so long ago, she had stood up for one of her cell mates whom she held dear. A blue haired boy with a tattoo marked on the left side of his face. She was taken and beaten for showing any form of defiance.

The blue haired boy walked from the other side of the cell where the others were and over to the scarlet haired girl crying. "Hey Erza", he spoke out softly to her. " Hello Jellal," she spoke almost inaudibly. " Are you going to be alright," Jellal was concerned about her state of mind, she had been crying often since they took her eye. He knows it was his fault that she was this way, it was him who misspoke. And yet it was her who took the punishment for disobedience.

He couldn't help scold himself for letting this happen to her. His thoughts were interrupted by a meak reply," Yes I'm fine, don't worry about me." She didn't want her friends to worry, she wanted them to focus on themselves more than about her wellbeing.

"But Erza," she was taken aback by the sternness in his voice. "We have to worry about you because we are your friends. "He smiled at Erza. "And that's what friends do, they watch each others backs. They don't just abandon that friendship after just one struggle, the keep fighting even when it seems impossible."

Erza was touched by his kind word and she jumped up and gave him a stiff hug, causing Jellal to form a blush on his face and scratch his head in embarrassment. "I feel better now, thank you Jellal." She smiled to him and to the rest of her cell mates, Sho, Simon Miliana, Wally, and grandpa Rob. She enjoyed their company and dearly hoped that they could all escape this hell. The thought of losing them was heartbreaking, they were the only people she could trust right now and that's what she held onto.

Jellal then spoke up. "It's still hard to believe that this is happening. I believe we'll get out though, we just have to." Everyone nodding in compliance to his words. All of them still in shock even after all this time.

"I just don't know why people have to be so cruel," Sho cried out. "And condone such wanton hatred." Sho was at the brink of tears, struggling to keep it together. "I don't know what to tell you Sho, i can hardly understand myself." Grandpa Rob sorrowfully said with his head hung low.

"Why did this have to happen, they killed our families and forced us to work tirelessly on this stupid tower. And for what, Some dark lord. It just doesn't make any sense." Sho started to bawl into his clenched fists. Grandpa Rob went and caressed the boy. "It's okay young one, we just have to stay strong in the hopes we someday leave this tower." His words were comforting and warm and gave hope to everyone in the cell.

"We must live so that we may one day be free again" everyone believed his words to be truth and it gave them hope for the future. A guard that was nearby walked up to the cell and with his spear and slammed it into the cell bars. Therefore making a loud metallic clank that made everyone jump. " Shut the hell up maggots, or else i give all of you beatings one by one!" Everyone dared not make even a whisper, too afraid to move.

As the guard move on to terrorize other people in their cells, they all sat looking to the floor with long faces. After a minute or two they decided it best to get some rest for the night. However, Erza could not go to sleep, she was too distracted by her thoughts to even think of sleeping. All she could think was that they were all in great danger here. And no matter what they did they were be punished and tortured just for the amusement of the cultists. I don't know how they sleep at night, Erza contemplated.

They had to get a way out of here. There was no way they could stay here for to much longer. Her friends were getting weaker by the day, especially grandpa Rob. But as her thoughts continued to pour out she could feel her eyelids becoming heavy as lead. And she finally gave into the temptation of sleep.

* * *

"Aahhh," Erza yonned into her hand and saw that it was early morning; she then heard footsteps getting louder towards her cell. It was a guard. He reached to his belt and griped a hoop with a multitude of keys on it, he fiddled the key in the lock for a brief moment before he opened the cell door. " Get up maggots, time to work!" The black robed cultist yelled at them, officially waking up everyone in the cell. They all got up and trotted out of the cell into the giant courtyard filled with stack of stone, wood, and sheet of lead. There were already other slaves at work.

Many to weak to work, but do anyway or else they are beaten or tortured. That's just how it was for us, Erza thought as she slunk over to do some work. She started carrying some off the lighter material to there respective piles around the yard. She could not remember how long it had been since she even got here, it's been so long. Erza looked over her shoulder and saw an elderly women fall to her knees while she was carrying a load of wood. She immediately ran over to help. " Are you okay, do you need some help" Erza questioned as she looked at her face. She had some wrinkles but not that many, she looked to be in her sixties or so. She had brown eyes and grey hair.

A guard walked over to them with a scowl ever present on his face. " Are you maggots chit chatting over here, and why are you on the ground, get the hell back to work!" The old woman struggled to get up in time and the guard kicked her over. "Come on hag, get on your feet," The guard merely chuckled at the elder who was groveling on the ground in pain. "Hey leave her alone, can't you see that she's in pain." Erza stood with her arms spread eagle in defense of the old woman. "No young one, don't stand in defense of me." the old lady didn't want to see another meaningless death and on her behalf no less. " No, we must stick together if we are to survive the cruelty of this place." Erza beaconed for all to hear. "We must stand strong and fight our oppressors."

Now the guard was livid as he kicked Erza to the ground. "Little bitch!" The guard screamed. "I kill you for trying to defy me!" He tried to stab Erza with his spear, but instead found his spear impaling the wrong person. No, Erza's eyes were wide, she was trembling. Not in fear, but at the dead body that slid off the spear right in front of her. She started bawling his chest as she gripped him as hard as she could. "Jellal!no,no!" She yelled while continuing to cry on his chest.

Every slave at that point had stopped what they were doing and watched the gruesome scene before them. As Jellal blood poured out and soaked both him and Erza in blood. "Hah, shows what he gets for trying to save you. And it was all for nothing, because you'll still die from my blade." he grinned sinisterly as she sat terrified of the man stand above her. But suddenly grandpa Rob stood arms wide between Ezra and the cultist.

"You won't kill another young one, kill me instead. Haven't you already had your fill of bloodshed." As grandpa Rob stood, the guard only grew angrier. " you too, it doesn't matter how many stand in defense, eventually I'll still kill the redhead brat! "The guard stood there and after only a moment's hesitation. He jabbed his spear forward and stabbed grandpa Rob. Every slave could only drop to their knees after witnessing two deaths like this. "See, this is what happens when you defy the dark lord Zeref."

The cultist laughed out. He then set his eyes back on Erza. "And you'll die all in the same, because your dirt. No, your lower than dirt." Then the cultist licked his wicked lips and crept forward spear at eh ready. He thrust his spear forward and then everything went white.

* * *

Erza sat up and gasped out, she was sweating profusely and saw Jellal look over to her. "What's wrong Erza, are you okay" he spurt out worriedly for his friend. "It's okay, it was just a bad dream, pretty bad." she concluded. "Worse than the last one?" Jellal remarked knowing full well this had happened before. "Yeah," she didn't really want to elaborate on the subject any farther. "Well, ok." Jellal Knew it was his place to pry any farther. But he couldn't shake the feeling that Erza seemed to be growing more distant by the day.

"Well if you ever want to talk about it, you know who to talk to." He put on a dumb smile and Erza let out a small giggle. It wasn't often she would laugh these days, if even at all. " I think it's almost time for us to get out to the courtyard. He sun will be up soon." "Thanks," Erza replied calmly, she was never ready for the intensive labor they had them doing. It was always too much.

After about thirty minutes the sun was coming up and Erza heard the foot steps of the guards. She dreaded the thought that her dream would come true. and it was very unsettling. And just like in her dream the guard took his time opening the cell. "Get up maggots, time to work!" Erza was terrified, this was just like her dream. And there was no way she could let that happen But unlike in her dream the guard then said something else. " You, Blue haired one. You come with me, the master wants you." "What would want wit me" Jellal said fear in the back of his mind. "Oh shut up will ya'" the guard then gestured for Jellal to follow him.

* * *

And just like that Jellal was taken from them. Erza could barely come to terms with all the thoughts in her head. It was unbearable, What were they doing to him? Would he be alright? A cultist walked up to Erza and yelled, "Get back to work maggot!" he looked like he had blown steam from his ears, with a sinister frown adorning his face.

But something sparked in Erza, she would not stand for this any longer. They had taken Jellal just a few hours ago, but that was enough to push her over the edge. "She looked at the guard with a look so fierce that he took a step back. "No!' Erza declared as loud as she could. "I won't be push around, I and all the other are fed up with this. I'm though being a slave. I'm though building this Tower!" As she said this the other slaves sat and thought for a moment, and then a moment more. They started to chant. "Yeah!" The slaves stared to throw rocks at the guards and fought them hard. The guards where dumbfounded by the strength the slave shown after such a trial rally speech. Erza used her small but strong fists to punch the cultists.

But then Erza was confronted by a cultist that seemed to use magic. "Hello there little brat" the cultist smirked his devilish grin forward Erza. Erza could feel his magic and she was scared, she'd never fought a Mage before; but the idea seem outlandish in her mind. The Mage then gathered his magic up I in a ball of green light and was ready to launch. Erza stared scared out of her mind, there was no way she could move fast enough away from it to dodge the attack. "Now feel the power of the dark lord Zeref" the beam then shot at her and she could only stare as grandpa Rob stood and took the blow.

How could she be so weak, it wasn't like her to be cowardly. What was wrong, why was all she could do was stand here and quiver in fear. All she wanted was freedom and yet her mind rejected her. But then Erza saw it, the body of grandpa Rob and that was the tipping point. She could not stand here and be a coward. She knew what she had to do, and she yelled out so loud everyone could here. For only a moment they could all here the scream of Erza. And suddenly multitudes of weapons an tools started to flout up off the ground and into the air.

The cultist for the first time felt fear from this scarlet haired girl. Then with her magic weapon started to fly over the battlefield only intensifying the morale of the slave whom fought for freedom. It was all going so well. That was until Erza saw him. Standing there like he never left, but he was different. She ran up to Jellal and gave him a hug. "I can't believe they let you go, are you okay; what did they do to you." Much to Erza's Shock Jellal forcefully pushed her off of him. "Wha," Erza gasped out as she fell to the cold stone of the courtyard. " Wha, what's wrong, it me Erza." Erza was so confused, as she looked into his eyes but didn't see the same person as she did earlier today.

She was shocked to see that he was like a different person, and had a whole different feeling about him. Especially since she did not remember feeling magic like this before now coming from him. "Hello Erza, it's so nice to see you again," Jellal said sinisterly as he gave a light chuckle. "Throwing a little revolt are we, my my what a naughty girl." He said as he put his hand on his cheek. Jellal's voice was filled with toxicity like Erza had ever seen. "Jellal, what going on, what happened to you?!" She Couldn't take this anymore, how could he have changed so much. "Well Erza, what do you have to say for yourself." Jellal said continuing to toy with her. " We were going to escape, don't you remember."

"But why would we ever leave." Erza's eyes widened in terror, what was he saying. This wasn't the Jellal she has known for the last half a year. "Why, this is paradise. we must continue to build the tower. We must continue so that our lord Zeref can return to this world." Erza started to back away, she'd never been so afraid in her life as she was right now. This was breaking her heart, the boy she had come to be so fond of was betraying everything she knew. And it rocked her foundation. She was lost, he was her reason for the revolt. She would have never had the courage to go an take action if not for the blue haired boy she held dear in her heart.

"No, we must leave this place. All of our friend will die if we don't" Erza was starting to shed tears, she couldn't control herself anymore. "Hey Erza, do you need help." It was Simon running to her from the distacnce, getting closer with every stride. "No Simon stay away." But he did not listen and ran up to her only to then look at Jellal. "Oh Jellal did you escape," Simon said as he walked over to the blue haired boy.

"Get out of my way pest, you have no place here." Simon stood confused and afraid as Jellal stuck a hand up and blasted him with a black and green orb of magic that collided with Simon in s split second. Simon fell to his back and blood running down his mouth. Erza dropped to her knees and stared at Simon. How could this happen, why. Why. Erza's thoughts were now only screams, as she felt like a rag doll thrown around and completely void of emotion. "This is what happens when you defy our lord Zeref." Jellal said as he walked toward Erza and lifted up her chin to look at him, she looked like a zombie. "Pathetic, do you really want to leave so badly." Erza didn't care anymore if she lived or died. She just wanted for it all to end, for her suffering to end. "Fine then, leave. But know that you've abandoned your true family" Jellal then threw Erza onto a small sailboat and simultaneously burned the rest of the ships.

As the rioting stopped and the slaves finished there fighting, they all came to the shore to see the ships burning. "Jellal what happened." Miliana asked, as she saw all the boats burnt to a crisp. "Erza has abandoned us and burned all the ships." Everyone was shocked.

"But, big sis." Sho cried out as he watched the boat sail off into the distance.

* * *

X777, Alakatasia

A black haired man sat apron a thrown. " Hmm." The man smirked as he rested his head on his opened hand. "It would seem that the pieces are finally coming together." An old man with a tall magic stave walked up to him. "Is it yet time for our plan to come into fruition Lord Spriggan." He awaited an answer as he stroked his long beard. "Not just yet August." Spriggan said with sly smirk glued to his face.

"Isn't that right. Natsu."

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Hi this is Laylaandotherassortedlovesongs here. This is my very first ever Fanfic. I just read Fairy Tail all the way through and decided that this is what I would do. Leave comments on what you think and suggestions on what I could do to improve my writing. I love to write, and this is a way to express my self. This story should be updated often and expect longer chapters as the story progresses on.**

**Any who****, I have a plan set out that this story will be much longer than this. This was just a tester of sorts of whats to come. Hope you enjoyed.**

**I do not own Fairy tail, that belongs solely to Hiro Mashima**


	2. Fire

**I do not own Fairy tail, that belongs solely to Hiro Mashima**

**I'm back with the second chapter and I hope you all like it. Please feel free to leave a comment on what you thought and any critiques.**

**Enjoy the story.**

* * *

Chapter 2 : Fire

July 1, X784, Random Tavern

A dark Mage walked into the small village of Onyx Town. He wore black combat boots that had dark green pants tucked into them, black sleeveless shirt, and a white scarf that always adorned his neck. As he walked through the streets, man gave curious glances in his direction. While others just ignored him. The village was an old rundown mining post that has long since been closed down. The buildings on the other hand were quite homely. They were carved right out of the granite hills. Quite the display of craftsmanship even if a bit crude.

After a minute on the towns only road, he stopped to take a closer look a far too familiar tavern sign that read, "Nightshade Bar Inn." Nasty smirked at this, and felt a wave a nostalgia flow over him like salmon swimming up a river. He walked in and sat at the end of the bar. The smell of blood and booze ever present among it's patrons. With a smirk Natsu Spoke to the Barmaid.

"Hey Rosie, Joe out," recognizing the voice any ware the women swiftly spun on her heel and laid her eyes on the pink haired man. "Natsu, It's been far too long." Rosie said in a sultry voice. Crossing her arms under of her breasts to enhance the view. Much to the pleasure of all that sat at the bar. She was about average height to most women and flaunts beautiful long maple hair, naturally curly. She also sported wholesome brown eyes. "I'd say the same" Natsu said in an equally calm demeanor. " However I'm in on Business, not fun this time." Natsu joked with the barmaid as she blushed. "Hey, that was only one time" Rosie pouted. Reminiscing on an event that happened long ago. "Well anyway, If your looking for Joe, your out of luck. But..." She emphasized the last word quite clearly. " But what," Natsu chided not liking having to wait. "But, I still may be able to fill you in. Not like I don't here plenty." Natsu loudly sighed. "Well then first I would like a, umm. A whiskey." Natsu stated excitedly awaiting his beverage.

"One whiskey com'in up'. Going strong today, nice choice." She applauded him for his choice of poison. She poured the amber liquid into a small glass and slid it down to Natsu. "So, what dirty secrets you searching for today." She stated in a more serious tone as she took a cloth and started on scrubbing the counter. "Well as it happens, I'm looking for a key, having to do certain black wizard."

Rosie immediately stopped what she was doing. "Well, now ain't that something. Well I can tell you off the bat I don't know much, but there are some rumors." She said in almost a whisper. Rosie then went behind the counter to a back room and came back with a large journal with a satin leather covering. "Awe, the infamous journal." Natsu sarcastically appraised the journal for its rustic look. "Yep, and I believe I wrote down a nice tidbit on this key your looking for. And here it. Is" she found the entry and ripped it out of the journal and handed it to Natsu.

"If I remember some fanatic was mumbling some nonsense awhile back about some sort of black magic." Natsu examined the symbols and the words stated. "All it has is these weird symbols and the word sacrifice written over and over."

"Not very helpful but I suppose that it's a start." Natsu continued to analyze the paper before handing the page back over to Rosie. "Never said It would be much help, but from the sound of it, sounds like you would sacrifice need a of some sort." She shivered at the thought of being sacrificed by the infamous salamander of all people. Fiery death sounded like the painful way to kick the bucket.

Natsu took another sip of his drink and pondered how to move forward from here. He didn't have any leads, and that's why he came here. But without Joe. It wouldn't much use. "Sigh," Natsu verbally expressed his frustration with the situation. He looked down and saw that his drink was all dried up. " Eh Rosie, a top off for the road please." Natsu's bored expression turned to a smug one after Rosie turned back around. "Sure, on the house." She slurred out, as Natsu expressed his gratitude of a free drink.

"Thanks, your a lifesaver," exclaimed Natsu to the barmaid, who giggled in return. And with one gulp Natsu downed the half filled glass." "You know that's a waste of good whiskey kid." And older man sitting at the other side of the bar stated monotonously. "Yeah, who says." Natsu cockily said as he looked in the direction of the grey haired man. "I say you don't know how to drink right." The old man with grey hair and a olive green cloak said. "Is that a challenge old timer," Natsu stood stoically. "Like hell it is," the old man said in a deep gruff voice.

Rosie just shook her head at the antics displayed in front of her. "Haha. "Haha." The two men started to laugh and soon after Natsu shouted out. "Willard!""Natsu!"The old friends laughter caught the attention of every patron in the tavern. "I was waiting for you to say something." Natsu laughed."Yeah. Well I was waiting for you to fuck up." He mocked Natsu which brought in another round of laughs to the old friends. "So did I hear you right or did you really get it on with Rosie." "Hey, don't bring me into this." Rosie fumed with tick marks forming on her forehead.

"More importantly though, I heard about a key. I may be able to lead you to what ye lookin for." " Really, "Natsu was surprised that Willard had some intel on the matter. "Well I heard of a place where they hide a sacred cavern, and supposedly is the gateway to something or other." Natsu thought of the clues. But the answer still seemed out of reach. "Was there anything else."

"Willard stroked his long grey mustache and then said. "I suppose that they did also mentioned something about the bones of the forgotten. That's all I can remember though. Sorry Natsu." Natsu pondered a second more, and then it clicked. "Willard your a genius." Natsu then got up and started to run to the door. "Hey wait, where are you going!" Willard abruptly yelled to the dismay of the other patrons. " To Crocus!" Natsu replied before vanishing out the door.

"Crocus, why Crocus," asked Rosie confused on what just happened. " Beats me," Willard ended lazily.

* * *

July 2, X784, Crocus,

Natsu had just gotten off the train to Crocus and could be seen throwing up into a trash can. "Damn, I hate trains." He spoke out to himself while taking in his surroundings. I should be exceptionally cautious in this city. All the attention would make it quite annoying. Luckily for me, people don't know what I look like. Natsu thought to himself as he wandered the streets of Crocus. He walked into we saw an enormous colosseum, Domus Flau. Bingo, Natsu could not believe it could be this easy. But he been mistaken before.

He scouted out the wall for an opening and found a small crevice, but large enough for him to fit into. The smell was odd to him, it was like decay but as if it was only lingering. He crept through the crevice until he found a pathway lit up by gleaming green gemstone. The gemstone shown a translucent green light. " This looks like a good start to search for the caverns he was told to find by Willard."

"Hmm, doesn't seem special to me." Natsu shrugged and continued to meander in the caverns. But he couldn't seem to find anything and it was starting to get aggravating. "Man, it seems this was just a fluke. Damn my luuuuck!" Natsu bellowed our as he fell through the floor to a deeper level. But miraculously it seemed that he fell on his target.

"Ahha, bones of the forgotten." Natsu exclaimed as he saw the bones of multiple dragons . It was quite peculiar to see piles of dragon skeletons, but I've seen worse. Natsu thought. He went to the center and took a look around to get a bearings. He wasn't sure what was supposed to happen. Did he have to perform magic or something? "Just another dead end, great." Natsu sighed out and started to walk out the way he came before hearing a breeze.

Another pathway, Natsu thought. He then proceeded to jump down into the ravine and used his flames to soften the impact. It was mesmerizing, it was a giant cavern that seemingly stretched for miles under Crocus.

"I'll be damned," Natsu then felt a presence far in the distance. He walked for what seemed like days under the city to go to this magic souce. It got stronger as time passed on and that confused the dark mage greatly. How could it be gaining magic like this.

And finally he came across a large wooden door. "What the hell." He muttered at the sight. He didn't expect to come across man made objects. It was a ornately cavern door, Natsu put his hand on the door and a second later gently pushed it open. The door led to a large hall with pillars on each side.

But, at the end of the hall say a large metal gate that radiated all sorts of magic. He could feel as the gate suck the magic out of his body. But then it suddenly stopped absorbing his magic. Then Natsu heard footsteps and then a voice.

"I swear I felt a magic presence, didn't you feel anything Kamika" Cosmos inquired to the other Women. Natsu his behind a pillar waiting for them to leave. He could feel that they were pretty skilled. He knew he could take them but the hassle was worth the risk of being exposed.

"Kamika, hmm." Those names sounded familiar. Due to all the intelligence that Grimore Heart had possessed over the years he knew a lot about the councils secrets thanks to Ultear. Just as Natsu thought the coast was clear. Natsu cough in his hand but it was too late, they knew someone was here. "I just had to cough didn't I," Natsu took a sarcastic tone with himself.

"See I told you Kamika, there's definitely someone down here." Cosmos scanned the area hoping that they'd come out. Come out will you we know your here. Your trespassing in the Castle and that is punishable by death." Cosmos waited for a replied only to be met with silence. But then the two heard shuffling and then saw Natsu standing before them.

A scowl present on both there faces. Noticing the guild mark on his arm Cosmos eyes widened in shock. "What's Grimore Heart doing here." The two executioners were shocked to see a dark mage down here. " That's classified information," Natsu smirked only angering them even more. "But as to how I got here, I came through the caverns." Natsu wasn't sure what was going to happen next, but knew that a battle was imminent.

"Well no matter, we'll still kill you dark mage scum!" Kamika ranted while preparing her paper magic. This Kamika had long brown hair spun into two loops and wore a simple black dress as a robe.

The other one Cosmos, has long violet hair and had a pink dress the formed a "V" pattern and spotted a strange hat.

"Before we do battle," Natsu pauses. " I'd like to know who I'm fighting" Natsu then got ready into a battle position. "Trying to stalk for time are we, very well," Kamika then put a smirk on her face before boasting. I am Kamika, and this is Cosmos. We are members of the Garou Knights, and these caverns are out domain." She smuggle grinned.

"Now, prepare for your execution." Kamika swiftly put up he hands. **Paper Blizzard : Red Dance!**

Kamika yelled and then blew out a torrent of red fiery paper that flew over to Natsu. Natsu only stood there and awaited the attack. The papers then exploded and created a dust cloud.

"See, pathetic dark guild trash. He never stood a chance." Cosmos nodding in agreement with her companion. As they Mocked Natsu. "Is that all. I was expecting a challenge." Natsu rushed out of the clouds and before Kamika could even move he smashed his flaming body into hers. "Aahhh," she screamed in pain as she got burn from the flames surrounding Natsu's body.

"Kamika! Your going to pay." Cosmos screamed and summoned her Plant magic. **Spore Bomb : Rinka Renka! **She realized the spell only for Natsu to dodge the explosions with a in a flash. "How can he move so fast!" Cosmos yelped as she cast another Spore Bomb.

Kamika returned to the fight and threw a spell along with Cosmos. **Paper Blizzard : Yellow Dance! Fly Trap Shot! **They shot off their attacks simultaneously, but Natsu once again flash away like a lightning bolt. He flashed to them aiming his fists to hit his opponents but they dodged just in time to miss it.

" Well as fun as this is I think it's time to finish this," Natsu grinned devilishly at them as their eyes started to tremble as Natsu started releasing his magic. They felt the air getting thick and heavy and it felt like the gravity had increased due to the pressure.

Deciding that she was not going down that easily Kamika sent forth a deadly attack. **Paper Blizzard : Green Dance! **She exclaimed as the air filled with poisonous green gas. **Vines! **Cosmos cast trying to catch Natsu in the trap so he could be poisoned.

However Natsu flew up in the air and then Puffed out his cheeks. **Fire**** Dragons Roar! **Natsu bellowed out and send a massive torrent of flames so hot the Pillars of stone started to melt like candles. The breath attack completely destroyed Kamika's and Cosmos's attacks and rendered them unconscious with burns all over there bodies.

"I really hate having to beat up women." Natsu sighed as he then snuck away, no one else spotting him as he left the castle.

Just then the rest of the Garou Knights ran up to the scene with shock, the exception being their leader Kama. "What the hell happened here," Neppa the acid made exasperated as he saw his comrades strewn on the floor. Uosuke went over to Cosmos and shook her with his foot to awake her. "What happened here." Cosmos dolefully looked down. "We have failed Fiore. He escaped." She put her hands to her face in disappointment. "Who was it." Kama rigidly spoke out, as Kamika winced and sat up. "It was a fire mage from Grimoire Heart" She said while looking downcast. "Grimoire Heart!" both Neppa and Uosuke said in unison as they stood disbelief.

"What was he after," Kama's steely voice sending shivers down there spine. "All we know is that he was down here examining the Eclipse Gate. And that he came in through the caverns. He made us look like fools. We were defeated so easily." Kamika and Cosmos stood side by side and bowed to Kama in hope of getting his forgiveness. "Relax you two, clearly it was out of your power to control the situation." "Thank you sir," the women said together.

"To think that Grimoire Heart has a made this powerful." Kama scowled from under his mask.

* * *

July 4, X784, Magic Council HQ, Era

The council members were all convening in Era for a meeting called together by Gran Doma. As the council members found there way to the meeting chamber they all took a seat. Gran Doma struck his staff to the ground and with a loud bang gathered the attention of everyone. "As usual, we convene hear to recount the recent events that have taken place. As some of you may already earlier today Hargeon Port was destroyed by S-ranked wizard Ezra Scarlet." Michello, the short cat eared Counselor fumed. "We should disband them, all they do is cause trouble and wreak havoc wherever they go!" Siegrain then stepped forward to speak. "I disagree, I think Fairy Tail is a blessing in disguise. Take away the destruction that comes along, and you have a guild that successfully completes more jobs than most guilds." Siegrain sat with a smug face.

"But even with all there successes, It still does not condone there wanton destruction." Counselor Hogg explained much to the agreement of the other Counselors. "I agree, we need to show that the Council cant be just be ignored." Counselor Belno made a point. the Council could not be stood up or there could be chaos among the magic world.

"I have a suggestion." Siegrain spoke softly, and drew attention to him. "What do you have in mind Counselor Siegrain." Gran Doma asked much to the inquiry of the rest of the council. "I say we draw attention away from the council. "Siegrain smirked at the murmurs and looks of the faces of the counselors. "Are you suggesting we make use of a scape goat Siegrain." Yajima said while lifting an eyebrow. After a short pause, Siegrain elaborated his plan. "Exactly." "When next Fairy Tail creates a scene, we show the world we still hold power and no one gets hurt." The rest of the council nodded in agreement except for Yajima. "Is every in compliance," Gran Doma's booming voice asking them to decide. As eight of the nine raised there hands in agreement, it was decided. "It is decided then."

"Now our next subject is in a far different light, even I was shocked to here of this report from General Arcadios in the capital. It says that during the middle of the day no less, a dark mage from Grimoire Heart infiltrated Mercurius castle." All the counselors gasped in shock except for Siegrain and Ultear. Getting into trouble are we Natsu, Ultear thought at the idea of her guild mate causing trouble. "How did he manage to slip past the guards?" Sage Org said baffled that no one caught him. "The report continues on to say he went through the caverns, as well as fought and defeated two of the Garou Knights rather easily."

"He managed to get threw them, this may turn out to be a bigger problem than we thought." Counselor Michelle strokes his mustache in deep thought. "This only furthers our need to lock down on dark guilds!" Gran Doma lamented.

As the other council members gave a cheer, they continued on with there meeting.

* * *

July 5, X784, Grimoire Heart HQ, Unknown location

"My boy, it would seem you caused quite the ruckus in Crocus just a few days ago." Hades chuckled, recalling the story Ultear had told him yesterday. "Yeah, sorry abou that." Natsu said as he scratched his head. Natsu did not intend on coming across this knights of something. He couldn't remember at the moment. "No matter, what did you find out about the key." Hades expression turned intent.

"The key turned out to be a dead end, something about a ritual of sacrifice. However my venture may have not been entirely pointless." Natsu said alluding to the gate he saw under the palace.

"A shame about the key, but what was it you found." Hades found it curious the council had something hidden under the palace. He tuned back in when Natsu started to tell his story.

"I this hall that was connected to some caverns, it was amazing. These caverns stretched for miles under Crocus. But in the hall there was this portal looking object, it started to steal my magic but stopped when those knights or something confronted me." Natsu recalled all the events. "The gate was intense to say the least. It felt familiar but distant. It was definitely black magic.

Hades stood from his throne and walked over to the window of the airship. Looking out into the cerulean blue sky. " It seems as though the council been hiding this secret quite heavily. I believe what you saw was called Eclipse gate." Hades turned to Natsu and stroked his long white beard. "I believe that this gate has to do with Zeref. "I'll have Ultear try and learn more about this gate."

"Master, I have important new from the alliance" Azuma said abruptly as he walked into the main deck of the ship. "I said I didn't want to be interrupted." Hades scolded with a stern voice. "Yes, but Tartarus has called a meeting, they said to meet at The Cube. It's located over Bosco.

" I'll attend this meeting, but for now I wish for you to leave us." Hades was tired of this Interruption. He was ready to give Natsu an important mission. One that was imperative for them to continue forward. "Yes master Hades, as you wish." Azuma left the two alone once again. Hades went and sat back his Throne and let out a loud sigh.

With that he looked up at Natsu who took a stance of attention to Hades. "Listen up Natsu, And pay attention." Hades sternly spoke. Natsu was ready for anything he could throw at him. " I have a mission that I have been planning for a few weeks. I've told no one of it." Hades pauses a second before resuming his speech. "Now this may be the most high stakes mission I've ever sent you on. And you must present utmost caution." Now Natsu was curious. He'd never heard Hades talk like this, it seemed like he was serious about the missions furiousity.

He's taken plenty off of jobs that pushes his limits to the extreme, and tested his endurance past the breaking point. So for this mission to have Hades seem uncomfortable, it was obvious that this by far would test his wit and ability to adapt. Natsu tunes back in as to not be scolded. "This mission will test your abilities to successfully integrate." " Integrate?"

a startled Natsu said. The hell does integration have to do with anything. He was beyond confused.

"Your mission, is to trick the Fairy tail guild into thinking you are a trusted and valuable member to them. You must win them over, but while on the inside, exploit them and bring them to there knees. "Fairy tail, huh." Natsu didn't think them to be an especially dangerous guild. He knew they were one of the more powerful guilds, but he didn't understand. Hades seeing Natsu confusion he unravled his plan. "Your objective is to gain the knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses, so when the time comes, we can use them in the ultimate sacrifice to awaken Zeref." Hades knew this mission would require a lot of time and patience from his apprentice, but it was the only way to successfully take down Fairy Tail with the least amount of casualties.

"Natsu, you must realize, this mission requires you stay away for many months." Hades was forlorn to see his best pawn leave him but it was necessary to his plans. "I understand fully master Hades, I won't fail you." "That's good to here, my boy." smirked Hades to his favorite pupil. "Now go, In the name of Grimoire Heart." Hades concluded.

As Natsu went off to find and join the Fairy Tail guild. His only thought being is plan to smoothly join with no suspicion.

* * *

July 5, X784, Fairy Tail guild

As the train finally stopped, Erza got of with Lucy flowing suit. She felt that Lucy would make a good edition to Fairy Tail. She had a nice spirit a charm about her. "Hey, Erza. This is Magnolia right." Lucy questioned the red head as she followed her to the guild. "Yes, Lucy. Were about there." Erza smiled at Lucy's timid nature, it reminded her kind of Lisana, memories of her funeral flashing in her mind causing her to frown. It seemed that no matter where she went, she was always surrounded by death. And it saddened her to think that maybe she was to blame for all of it. Of course she knew she never in control, If she had just been a little stronger. Then maybe, just maybe she could have saved her friends.

As they walked they finally came up to the forefront of the guild. Lucy stared in awe at the guild hall before her, it was huge she thought. "Here we are Lucy." Erza smiled, putting up her arm to let Lucy go on ahead. As Lucy walked into the guild all she could she was a bunch of rowdy men and women inside of a large brawl.

"Take this," a raven haired man should while shooting an ice spear and a large white haired man. "A real man uses his fists." the white haired man shouted out to the half naked raven haired one. Lucy could only sweat drop at the scene in front of her. It was absolute madness to say the least. Erza just put her hand on Lucy's shoulder and spoke calmly, " Watch this." Erza with a devilish grin then stepped forward and shouted. "What to hell is going on here." Erza roared causing everyone to immediately stop the brawling and cower in fear. "Oh, hello Erza." Gray squeaked out. He stood with a dumb look on his face trying not to get beaten to a pulp like the last time he was caught brawling in the guild.

Lucy could only laugh, she totally got him whipped. Then all attention turned to the new arrival standing behind Erza. She suddenly felt very awkward as every one there stared at her in intrigue. "Who's this you've brought to the guild Erza." Mirajane spoke sweetly as Lucy formed stars in her eyes at the sight of the real Mirajane. "Her name is Lucy, I meet up her with her while in Hargeon. She plans to join up with us." "Ah, a new recruit. Here come over here and let me stamp you." Lucy dumbfound to have Mirajane in the flesh talking to her right now. "Its really Mirajane, oh wow." Lucy said in a giddy voice. "In the flesh." Mirajane then asked, "Where do you want your mark and in what color." "Pink, and right on my hand." Lucy said as she stuck out her right hand and awaited the magical stamp.

And after a slight stinging sensation she looked at her mark with and expression of pure joy. "Welcome to Fairy Tail Lucy." Mirajane sweetly welcomed the newest arrival to the guild. Now everything was back to normal as people sat at there tables drinking there mugs of beer, laughing amongst themselves, and an overall feeling of a warm hearth. Lucy just stared watchfully at everyone, feeling cozy at the Bar. "Hey your the new girl aren't you, Lucy was it." said the guild drunk. "Yeah, that's right." Lucy studied the woman. She had only a blue bikini top covering her torso and a deck of cards that sat promptly in front of her on the bar. "Hi I'm Cana." She said and put her hand forward to greet the celestial mage. Lucy returned her hand from the shake, "Pleased to meet you Cana." She thought she would be friends with this woman. She seemed nice enough. Lucy really did enjoy her time so far in the guild. Everyone was just so nice and made gee feel at welcome.

Just then Erza walked over to Grey and sat at his table. "What's up." Gray said surprised that the requip mage was sitting with him. "Well on my way back I heard a disturbing rumor from eavesdropping on some shady fellows. I'm not quite sure but they were talking about something called lullaby." Erza seemed concerned enough to come to him of all people, so obvious it was something that had her riled up. "Huh, lullaby?" Lucy heard this and walked over to their table and sat herself down next to Erza. "I've heard of this, supposedly its some form of a flute, but I can't seem to remember what about it that was important." 'Well that doesn't really answer any questions.' Erza spoke out. "I feel as though we should take action on this possible threat."

"Gray, I need your help." Erza spurt out much to the shock of the other guild members. "Really, Erza asking for help." a random member said. "I've never heard her ask for help on a job before." said another equally as shocked. "Even I'm not as mush of a fool to think I could take on and entire dark guild alone." Erza said confident that Gray would be of great help to her in taking down the guild. "We leave on the train at seven sharp, don't be late Gray or else Erza threatened. Sending shivers down his spine. With that said they went on to there repspective homes except Lucy who would stay the night with Erza.

That next morning Erza was waiting patiently for Gray, and it was almost seven. Erza then spotted Gray down the road a ways away as well as a familiar blonde following him as well. She was glad that Gray brought Lucy along. This could turn out to be a great first job for her. And would certainly give her some insight on how job requests work and are dealt with. She waved to them as they got closer. Lucy waved back excited to start her first ever wizard job. Though she was a bit nervous about facing a dark guild, she was with Erza And Gray. And she knew they could handle it. They boarded the express and were on a set course for Oshibana town. As they picked an empty booth they sat down and Erza stared up. "We should think over all that we know of the situation, we know that this dark guild is after some artifact." Erza then turned to Gray seeking a response from the ice mage. "Well we know that it must be some sort of black magic since dark guilds are always after it, in some way or another." "Well, even if they got there hands on something like this. we still have no idea what they could be planning." Lucy interjected.

But suddenly with a loud thunderous boom, the other occupants of the train screamed as the back half of the last train car was ripped off from the collision. Bodies flew out of the train and fell to their death from off the tracks. Then a loud voice exclaimed, "Were taking over this train now, fear for your lives!" Erza was infuriated by this and jumped up and kicked the mage and he fell out the train like the other passengers. " She then turned to Gray and ordered. "Go help the other passengers from the enemy." Gray did as he was told and ran to the other train cars, doing his best not to fall of the train. He saw multiple dark mages. "Erza I think they made a change in plans!" Gray yelled out to Erza who was fending off some puny mages from hurting the regular passengers. "Clearly! Erza griped back barely in reach of the ice wizards ears.

But then Gray caught the sight of a man with long black hair running to the further up train cars. He followed in suit as fast as he could and saw the man now standing in front of him arm outstretched. He held out Lullaby and spoke with venom in his voice. " Is this what your looking for." Gray looked at the three eyed flute and instantly felt that this was the lullaby they were after. Gray rushed Kageyama and tried to freeze him in place only for the shadow mage to disappear into a shadow before coming up behind Gray and attacked him a shadow only for Gray to dodge and launch an ice lance at him.

Gray then summoned his magic, **Ice Make Hammer! **yelled out as his hammer broke off a portion of the trains roof. And like a game of whacka-mole, slammed his hammer into the shadow mage. But instead of hitting Kageyama, he smash the hammer down and it smashed threw the train wall and wedged under the train. And like a force of god, and before anyone could try and change the course of action. The train jumped the tracks. As it plowed though building after building the train managed to stop in front of Oshibana station.

Erza got up and coughed due to the dust in the air from there landing. Still trying to catch her bearings, she felt dizzy and her vision was blurred from impact, but then what she saw brought the fresh horror of realization. And that was most of the mages and passengers were either unconscious or dead from what she could tell. The smell blood ever present in the dirty air of the crash site. She then heard the groans of Lucy getting up, she had been scratched all over her arms and legs. "Are you okay Lucy." Lucy nodded, "Yeah I'll be fine. what just happened." Erza walked over and looked around, the damage too the area was undeniably pretty bad. "I think I know who we can thank for this." Erza's voice cold and steely as she walked passed Lucy who shivered at the terrifying aura surrounding her. She walk over to Gray Who had just gotten up. "What the fuck were you thinking! Innocent civilians are dead now because of your reckless action." Erza's eyes pierced though Gray like a hot knife though butter. He felt ashamed for not thinking, all this was because of him. And now he had the lives of the dead passengers on his conscience.

"Erza I wasn't." Erza cut him off. "What, you weren't thinking! You can't just go around destroying shit, and expect not to harm others. This is exactly why you aren't qualified for S-class!" Her words stung deep, but he knew she was right. He was always careless, and being too reckless on his missions. And now Erza was going to be pissed at him for a while.

Suddenly before Erza could scold Gray any further a flying mage show up in front of them. "We'll deal with this later. "Erza scolded. She tensed a little at the sight of the rest of the Eisenwall guild standing on the steps of the of the station. "What do we have here, looks like we've got some fairy flies." The rest of the Guild then gave out a chuckle. Out of the rubble, Kageyama was bloody from being impaled by a metal beam. "Erigor, the flute." He gasped out before collapsing on the ground and dropping the flute as it rolled toward Rayule who threw it to Erigor. "I think I'll be taking this, don't let them escape." Erigor then flew off to follow the tracks.

"Damn it." Erza cursed as she the requiped. **Requip : Heavens Wheel! **Erza then with a flash of light transformed into her armor and summoned her blades. "Guys get ready, there's a lot of them." Erza the flew fast and slashed the air in front of a few dark mages, only for them to have blood spurt out the slash on there chests. "No way, its, Its the Titania." the other mages quivered at the sound of her name. Gray ran over to attack while Erza flew back to switch out. **Ice Make Cannon! **Gray exclaimed and launched a ball of ice that exploded on impact, taking out a handful of men. At the same time Lucy was summoning her spirit Cancer the crab.

Erza knew they could not stay here for long or else, something terrible would happen. She could feel it in her gut.

* * *

Clover Town

God, I hate trains Natsu thought as he trudged out of the station and into the small village of clover. He'd never been to the town personally but he's heard of it before used in reference. As he walked to primarily empty streets he saw a man flowing overhead in the distance. he started to bolt at the flying man when he felt the presence of black magic in the man's possession. Trying to close the distance Natsu sprinted until a was running on the railroad track. Natsu was sure that what the man carried in his hand there was black magic for sure.

Erigor saw him and in a split second decision came to a halt before reaching Natsu. He stopped to measure him up, from what he could feel it felt like he had next to no magic at all. This out of the way Erigor smirked, "What's a weakling like you doing standing in my way." Natsu merely raised an eyebrow at this and replied truthfully. "I'm here to take that item of your hands." He said in a stern voice. Erigor frowned at this. "I might have let you live, but now I think not."

Natsu stood carefully analyzing his new found opponent who flew back and gathered his magic. **Wind Scythe! **Erigor released his spell. The blade of air speed to Natsu who simply Jumped up and the blade passed underneath. Natsu then dodged a flurry of scythes that Erigor released. But just like before he dodged team with ease as he leaped to the side on Erigor as he got frustrated.

"Just who the hell are you!" Erigor lamented as he sent another wave off wind scythes. He had had enough of this. He was going to resort to his best spell. "That information is classified." Natsu said with a bored face showing his lack of interest in this fight, if it could even be referred to as a fight. But to that answer Erigor only grew far more livid with the citation at hand.

" Fine, you leave me no choice." Erigor started to gather giant balls of winds a rounds his arms. And with a swift Morison fired it. **Storm Shredder! **Natsu once more dodged the attack. "Are you done now." And in the flash of a second Natsu launched himself up and unleashed a might attack. **Fire Dragons Iron Fist! **He punched Erigor in the ribs. Braking his ribs as bone fragments ripped into his lungs causing to cough blood profusely and he fell down to the Bottom of the Gorge, but not before he dropped the flute onto the tracks and Natsu confiscated it. Natsu cursed himself for always coming across the ones who are weak. He never gets a good challenge these days. It was always his luck to get to fight the weak ones. And it truly anoyed him.

Natsu decided earlier to just walk the tracks until he got to the next town, he'd rather walk than get on yet another god forsaken train. Natsu could hear the rumbling of a vehicle on the tracks long before he could see it. But low and behold, there was a magic mobile running full speed torward him.

"Erza you need to slow down, you'll use up to much magic if you keep pumping magic like that into the SG plug." Erza knew her magic would be drained but she just had to catch up to Erigor. With the lives of the masters on the line, she couldn't afford to conserve her magic. "There's no way we can slow down, not when master is in danger"

"Hey guys, is it just me or is that a person on the tracks." "No I see it too." Gray said as he stared at the silhouette of a person in the distance. "What the hell is someone doing on on the tracks." Erza questioned. And soon enough they were just in front of the strange man. Erza was the first to jump off the magic mobile, and then followed by Gray and Lucy. She stood front and center front and center with Gray and Lucy standing behind. Erza observed him with a fierce glare. He returned the favor by giving her an equally piercing glare. He was holding the flute. And so many questions filled her head. What happened to Erigor? And who the hell was he?

The last thing Erza noticed was his pink hair, flowing in the wind.

* * *

**To be Continued...**

**Thanks if you read the chapter and hope you enjoyed.**

**Now i know that this chapter was all over the place, but a had to try and fit some exposition into the story. So i am sorry for that. **

**And Again, please comment or send a message on what I can do to make me a better writer, so that you enjoy the story more. I am open to opinion. Oh and feel free to send me fanfiction stories that you enjoy. **

**Natsu is not OP in this story, I'd say he's more powerful than Laxus for sure and in a farely sized margin. oh and since Gray is kind of treated like Natsu he breaks stuff easily.**

**Well anyway I'm gonna hit the hay since for me its like 3 am. I hope you enjoyed the story and that you stop in to read the next chapter when its out.**


	3. New Kid in Town

**I do not own Fairy Tail, that belongs solely to Hiro Mashima**

**Now I don't plan on just following the original story, l'm looking to cut out one or two of the of the arcs and replace them with my own story Arc. So I hope you'll enjoy that.**

**Please feel free to leave comments on what I can improve on and what you think off the story so far.**

**Enjoy the story.**

* * *

Chapter 3 : New Kid in Town

July 6, X784, The Cube

In a dark sanctuary inside the floating base of Tartarus, there was a large dark meeting room with only a small hole in the ceiling to bring in the light of the moon. There was a circular stone table with ornate carvings all along the trim. And at the table sat the leader of each guild in the Baram alliance. Sitting at opposite sides of the table. Representatives of each guild standing behind their masters as well as members of there elite. The faces of the masters barely recognizable due to the only light being the moon. "We've all been gathered here to discuss our collective interests." Mard Geer softly spoke. "How far along is the tower in its construction" Hades asked. "The awakening of Zeref is the most important course for us." "Yes, I believe that we may be close to the end of construction." Brain replied. "We have all the plans in order, all we need now is a proper sacrifice." Brain then looked over at the thought projection over in the corner of the room who then walked over to the table and stood behind Hades, crossing his arms in the process.

"You will have the sacrifice ready, won't you Jellal?" Brain said maliciously. "Don't worry, I'll have the sacrifice. Just leave it to me." Jellal smirked threw his teeth and then turned to head to face the woman next to him with long raven hair, and wore a loosely draped white kimono. "However, that depends if you and Ultear can successfully convince th council in firing etherion." Spoke out Mard Geer, as he crossed his fingers together in front of his mouth. "If not, all the panning over the years will be all for not. And its possible the council with become suspicious, wondering why you want etherion fired so badly."

"I ashore you that those turn off events won't come to pass." Jellal said. He knew he had to find a way get his sacrifice to the tower. But at the moment, he couldn't be concerned with that problem. "So where is your favorite dragon slayer Hades, you always bring you favorite pet along with you." Mard Geer said with a wicked grin plastered to his face. Hades scowled at his pupil being called a pet, but ignored the temptation to snap back at the dark purple haired man. He didn't think they would notice.

Hades then reluctantly replied to the question. "I've sent him on a covert assignment. It is imperative for my own wishes to come to fruition." "Covert huh, and how do you figure." Brain meddled into Hades plan. "Well lets just say he under pressure to obtain guarded information." "Guarded information? I don't remember ever hearing of Natsu going off on such a mission." Ultear frowned. Master always told her of his plans so it was unusual for him not to this time. Hades had told her classified information before, so why was this any different than the other occasion. "It was supposed to stay as a secret, that way there was no chance of mission failure." Hades fumed at there insistence on snooping. "I'm not going to discuss this any further. knowledge of the mission could compromise the planning put into this."

Hades discussed no further Natsu's mission. But before anyone could interject, they all heard loud clanking footsteps coming from down the hall, a figures silhouette formed in the darkness. "Sorry I'm late, I was held up by a personal matter." A stranger appeared. Everyone remained quiet. Some of the dark mages taking a step back, knowing full well the person that stood before them. "Azrael, I thought you'd never come." Mard Geer spoke as he retuned from his fearful trance. Even he could recognize that the dark mage in front of him was incredibly powerful. Even without trying he oozed out his magic. Azrael had had messy spiked black hair and dark blue eyes, he wore a loose white shirt with ornate golden paisley design on the trim. It was opened, allowing sight of his chiseled chest. The sleeves hung down at the wrists like drapes. And his legs were adorned by ornately designed silver armored greaves that reached to the top of his calf's.

As Azrael sat in the previously empty stone seat, the others then went back to their proceedings. "Well Azrael, do you have anything to say in the matter of the Revive system.?' Hades questioned the black haired man. "Concerning the Revive system." He thought for a moment. "My underlings have reported to me that council naval vessels have been going close to discovering the tower. So I would suggest going though with your plans as soon as possible before your operation is ceased by the council." Azrael said. "But I've been looking into matters of the ancient dragon relics. You all keep blowing them off as myth, but I know they exist." Azrael crossed his arms and looked at Mard Geer. "Well if your looking for help, we've all got our hands tied with our own operations. You know this." Mard Geer harshly spoke.

"You know as well as I do that the fabled dragon relics have to the power to set in motion the revival of the dragon race." Azrael having enough finally explained after being turned down so many times by Mard Geer. The rest of the members in the room only held there mouths agape in shock. "Has that been your plan all along. That's madness!" Ultear shouted out, eyes widened in shock. "If the dragon race was to be revived, even you would be out of the control to make them bow to you." Mard Geer boldly exclaimed. "What would you do if they were to be revived." Cobra said stepping forward. He was intrigued at this notion of the dragons coming back, him being a dragon slayer. Even if an artificial one.

"My goals in this world unlike you all are very different. My ideal world is where dragons and humans can coexist in peace. I wish to revive the Kingdom of Dragnof, where humans and dragons once lived together in coexistence. " He said as he stood up and held his arms wide. "A world where there is no war, a perfect world of magic." Azrael plan revealed just how insane he really was. "You may not agree, but I believe I can accomplish this goal." He then sat back in his seat. "As nice as that sounds, I don't believe that that reality is obtainable. I mean Dragnof. That kingdom was crumbled away in the dragon war." Hades himself found the thought of this world Azrael spoke off to be farfetched. "Maybe in return from your assistance, I could help you find the primordial magic." With that said Hades gasped and stared at Azrael in Shock. How could he possibly know his ultimate goal. "How have you come across that information." Hades sat in astonishment, truly this mage was the embodiment of mystery. Everything he did was sporadic. "Enough!" Mard Geer had had quiet enough of this, they were straying of course of why they were here.

"We will get back on track and discuss feasible actions!" Everyone else nodded in agreement to his lamented words as Azrael sat back in the seat and crossed his arms in fury. "Finally." Silver thought as the meeting was finally getting back onto the original subject.

The meeting then continued on much to the annoyance of Azrael.

* * *

July 6, X784, Clover

The two mages stood there in a stalemate, watching the other, waiting for them to make the first move. Erza was prepared to fight, but it was not what she wanted as it was not the best course of action right now. Reason being she was low on magic from the strained use of the magic mobile. His eyes were steely and determined as he scanned her up and down. He wore a skin tight black combat sleeveless shirt with green pants and black combat boot. And a peculiar white scaled scarf draped on his neck. He had a lean tall figure and rippling muscles. She had to to say that he was quite attractive but dismissed the thought. She had no time for those kind of thoughts, she had to deal with the obstacle standing in her way. Finally Erza opted to break the silence that had transpired for a few seconds.

"Who are you." Erza questioned as she requiped a sword at the possible threat before her. Her glaring at him like daggers. Natsu stared at the Red head and readied himself. "I'm not obelized to answer that." Natsu said as he anticipated her reply. Erza was fuming, who the hell does he think he is. "I won't ask again. Who are you and how did you get the flute." "I'm sorry but the flute is not up for grabs." Erza Started to walk toward him and stopped right as she was standing right in front of him. "Erza what are you doing!" Gray yelled to her as he tensed. "What's going to happen." Lucy said as she hid behind Gray. "I don't know." Gray was just as confused. Erza then pointed the sword in her grasp at the pinkete in front of her as the tip of the blade was pressing against his neck. Gray was so unsure what would happen next. The tension between the two was so intense that he swore he could see it radiating around them.

Suddenly Natsu grabbed the blade with his hand and ripped it from Erza's grasp, much to her shock. She jumped back and with a flash of her magic requiped. **Requip : Heavens Wheel!** The bright flash blinded Natsu, He covered his eyes, and when he opened them immediately dodged the sword stroke from the sword maiden. He attempted to punch her but she blocked the blow with the flat of her blade. The force knocking her back. She quickly recoiled and slashed at his chest hoping to slice him open. But Natsu dodged the blade in a flash and flew back. Erza growled and then summoned a dozen swords to her side and launched them at Natsu. They flew with such speed, he barely dodged the blades. He flashed right in front of Erza and landed a punch to her chest and she flipped onto her back on the track. She got up and grasped her breast plate in pain. His blow felt like she was hit with a train.

But before she could collect herself, she saw Natsu bolting towards her with flames present in his hands. She then summoned another round of swords and cried out. **Circle Swords!** The swords spun at Natsu like a shuriken and he ducked under the razor wheel as it passed right over his and then cut the railroad track on its way down making the bridge shake as it threatened to collapse. With the range attack proving ineffective to someone who is quiet agile. Erza then tried to go in for an up close attack on her pink haired opponent. She jumped down ansd speed over to Natsu as he tried to dodge as she shouted furiously. **Pentagram Sword!** She swiped a him and a pentigram shaped formed in front of Natsu but he leaped through before the attack could follow though and tackled Erza to the ground. He then got up off of the track and eagerly awaited the next attack from Erza.

Erza jumped up in a flash and summoned more swords. She flew at Natsu and grabbed two of the swords and crossed them together. Natsu then puffed his cheeks out to try and counter her attack. **Fire Dragons Roar!** He release the massive breath attack and then heard her cry out. **Blumenblatt!** Erza then sliced through the flames and rocketed at Natsu and attempted to kick him in the head. Natsu put his arms up and blocked to kick with his bare arms. He then used the force up her kick against her as he pushed her back. She landed to her feet and breathed out hard. This armor was obiously not working to her advantage and she decided to requip.

Erza as quick as she could leaped back from Natsu who chased after her. So your a fire mage she thought to her self and started to requip. Erza yelled out and changed into her flame empress armor. **Requip : Flame Empress Armor! **Once again with a flash she was in a different armor. Erza swung her heavy blade at the fire mage who leaned back and fell onto his hands and kicked up as hard as he could and kicked the red head in the stomach that made her wince in pain. Not giving into the pain, she swung her blade up in her hands and gripped the blade upside down and stabbed down at Natsu. "Shit!" He shrieked out as rolled out of the way of the blade narrowly before it impaled him.

Natsu with his hands then spun his legs in a circle formation as fire came out of his feet and tripping Erza in the process. "Erza!" Gray ran over and launched a spell at the fire mage.** Ice Make** **Lances!** The spears of ice shot over Erza and Natsu jumped to dodge the attack. "Gray stay out of this." Erza said throwing her arm out as to tell him to leave it to her. This was her fight, she didn't not want for her friends to get hurt because of her weakness. Erza quickly spun and stomped her foot to the ground and launched at Natsu. She swung her blade at his neck and he ducked before punching Erza in the stomach, she slid back and breathed out heavily before rushing forward. Natsu did the same and gathered flames in the palm of his hand and then yelled out. **Fire Dragons Explosion!** He released the sphere of flames which exploded midair as Erza put the flat of her blade between her and the explosion. Erza yelped out as the flames burnt her exposed skin.

She then recovered and thought of her next move, she couldn't just attack at random and hope to beat this enemy. She quickly thought up a plan and then rushed to get back into the fray. She then all in sequence swung at Natsu's legs which he jumped back his feet to dodge and then Erza slashed left and then right. She then jabbed her sword at him, but he stepped back caught the sword just like before. But then Natsu pulled forward at Erza and gave her a left jab in the gut and then another to her face in quick succession and then let go of the flame blade. Erza then jumped out of the way and held her bleeding cheek. Natsu then gathered up another ball of fire, but this time it was larger. And before Erza could react he released the spell. **Fire Dragons Explosion!** He screamed out as the ball flew over to Erza her in a slpit second decition requiped into her adamantine armor. **Requip : Adamantine Armor!** She then held up her shield and planted her feet. But the explosion blew her back. Even with the protective properties of her armor, Erza's shield broke and she landed back next to Gray and Lucy.

Gray helped her up and she smiled grimly at him. "Let us help you." Gray couldn't stand just watching the Battle unfolding before his eyes. He wanted to help Erza beat this asshole. It just wasn't in his nature to stand back and do nothing. "No Gray, This is my fight that I started and I won't risk the harm of my friends even if that means I have to sacrifice my own safety." Natsu just watched the exchange between the requip and ice mage. A bored expression that seemed to never leave his face. Erza then stood back on her two feet and requip back into her Flame empress armor and stood ready to defend her friends no matter the cost.

Erza requiped back into her flame empress armor and darted at the fire mage. Natsu doing the same, like a bullet out of the barrel shot toward Erza and readied his fist with flames. He was suddenly on top of her and she pointed the tip of her blade at him and thrusted it up, but he moved to the side and punched at her head. **Fire Dragons Destruction Hammer!** The lightning fast strike pummeled into her head and she was whipped back and skipped on the track and then rolled until she halted. She tried to get to her feet but fell back down to her knees. Her sight was fuzzy and she felt like she was about to pass out. The stike landed right on her temple and her head was pounding. Telling her to stop, but she had to keep going. She lifted to her feet, her vision slowly going back to normal. Erza then requiped a spear in her hand and put her foot forward and launched the spear like a speeding arrow. Natsu then jumped up onto the spear and used it to thrust his body as he flipped into the air. Erza readied her sword and charged him. She equipped another sword and when Natsu landed next to her she slashed her left sword and the her right. Natsu dodged and then kicked Erza in the knee and she almost had her leg break from it bending back the wrong way.

Erza swung her blade up in an upper cut fashion but Natsu side stepped to the left and then punched her arm with a right straight causing Erza to drop her sword in pain and she with her right hand slashed at his neck. He then before she made the blade contact his neck, bent his knees and then butted his head into hers causing her to stagger back and have blood flow from out of her nose and she grabbed her face and wiped the blood with her armored fist. All she could do at the moment was growl. That attack was a low blow she thought as she then jabbed her sword forward at him. He then dodge the jab and an kicked the tracks causing him to launch back and into the air. He then put his hands behind him and roared out. **Fire Dragons** **Roar!** The flames flew out fast and hot. Even from such a distance, Gray had to cover his face to protect from the wave of heat that radiated from the mouth of the dragon. Erza was the unlucky one as she stood planting her feet and crossing her arms. She took the full force of the attack and was paying for it. Her flame empress armor starting to melt off of her. When the onslaught stopped she could be seen with her armor now completely useless as there were holes in it everywhere, breaks and fractures implanted from the vicious attack.

Natsu rushed her before she could even attempt to put up her defense. **Fire Dragons Grip Strike!** Natsu slashed her in the gut and a small explosion erupted point blank. Natsu then went on to deliver a barrage of punches. Starting with a left straight. All Erza could do now was put her fists up and hold it out. Natsu then gave her a right hook and then another left straight. Then with a right straight broke Erza's left arm. Then he with his left hand upper cutted her in the jaw and she flew up a few feet just before finally with his left arm he pulled back his fist coated in flames. **Fire Dragons Iron Fist! **

The strike hit Erza like a comet and she flew off the rails into the gorge below and crashed into the cliff wall."NO ERZA!" Lucy cried as she witnessed her friend being kicked around like a ragdoll. If he could do that to Erza then there was no chance she and Gray could even stand up to someone like that. She was so scared, this was her very first mission and she was already witnessing such brutality and death. With the train crash and fighting those dark mages back at Oshibana station. She was so shaken by all this all happening so suddenly.

Natsu stood and tuned his head and looked at Gray and Lucy who's eyes widened, but were surprised when he jumped off the bridge down into the canyon. They were worried Erza was not going to last but then Gray remembered that he had to trust in his friend that she could do it. "Don't worry Luce, Erza will pull through." He hoped he spoke the truth for Erza's sake. Erza left a giant indent in the cliff face when she crashed into it. She then fell down and landed on her hands and knees while panting heavily. She had never been overpowered like this in a fight, she knew she had a very slim chance of beating this opponent. But she had to try for the sakes of her friends. But at least this mage seemed to have some honor since he did not even attempt to attack them.

Then out of the dust cloud came out Natsu with not a scratch on him except for the small trail of blood from the prick on his neck. Thanks to Erza putting her sword to his neck. She lifted herself on her wobbly legs and stood firm with a scowl on her face and her flame empress sword at the ready in front off her. Natsu walked over until he was ten meters from the red head. "A woman so beautiful should never have an expression of such anger." He spoke out calmly as Erza felt her cheeks heat up from the remark. What was he playing at, was he trying to hit her with kind words to make her lower her Guard? This only gave her more questions and left her with less answers. Erza done waiting ran up and leaped into the air Natsu running to her from the ground. She then sliced down with her heavy blade and what happened shocked her to no end. With both hands the pinkete caught the blade and broke it under the force of his hands.

Erza quickly dropped the broken blade and entered Hand to hand combat wit the fire mage. She threw a left straight only for Natsu to pu up his arms and block the srike and leaped back. Erza thrusted at him and managed to strike him with a mean right hook. She then tried an uppercut but was slammed in the left check and it halted her approach. She spit out blood from her mouth, and requiped another regular blade. Erza charged forward at Natsu and sliced at him as he swung his head to the left and was cut on his cheek. He then got down low and punched her in the gut. She then requiped. **Requip Purgatory Armor!** she then with great strength lumbered the large club at Natsu and he punched the club and skidded back. Stopping a few feet away.

Natsu then leaned back and puffed out his cheeks, Erza who saw this jumped far back to try and get out of range of the attack. **Fire Dragons Roar!** Natsu bellowed out and a giant torrent of flames flowed out of his mouth and blasted against the cliff face. He stopped the attack and there was a giant hole in the cliff face. He saw that the scarlet haired mage managed to slip out of the way of his breath attack. He was quite impressed with her skill, even if he was going easy on her. Her expression was that of pure frustration. Natsu really didn't want to fight right now, but she seemed insistent on it. Erza then jumped down after standing on the boulder for only a second and leaped in the air and tried to kick him in the chest to try and knock him to the ground. But Natsu in one swift motion sidestepped to the right grabbed her leg and threw her over to the other side of the gorge. Erza crashed into a large stalagmite that broke apart upon impact. She slid down and found herself lying on the ground before realizing she needed to get up.

She found her footing and kicked the ground to launch forward at the enemy. While Natsu ran forward and coated his fist in orange flames once again. Erza expecting another close interval attack landed on the ground and slid on her knees, and with her club swung out and tried to swipe his legs. To her shock, Natsu jumped over the club and landed onto his hand in which he used to flip back to his feet. His then did a roundhouse kick to Erza who blocked the attack with the club. She swung with much furiousity at Natsu but he ducked under the slice and swung. **Fire Dragons Talon Strike!** He slashed her in the gut leaving a large crack in her armor. She dropped to her knee and clutched her stomach. Her armor was indented and was pressing into her skin. She felt so helpless to do anything. Everything she tried ended up back firing on her. One thing she didn't get was why he wasn't attacking while she was down.

Erza not giving up stood up and winced in pain still clutching her stomach. Through this whole battle Erza had not been paying attention to her physical state off being. Only now realizing how much pain she was really in, she was breathing heavily and had a hitch I her breath from all the times the air was knocked out of her chest. She was bleeding from her forehead, her stomach, and she stared at her opponent with heavy eyelids, eyes half open. Unconsciousness threatening to take hold of her battered body. She was covered in third degree burns on her arms primarily and scratches. She was in really bad shape. Any more and her wounds would start to become fatal.

Natsu looked at her with a gloomy shroud surrounding him, and then he looked down to his hands. Even after all the battering he had done to her, she was still willing to give it her all. He found her strength of will to be remarkable. He'd never fought someone with such a fire in their heart and determination in there soul. Now he felt awful, feeling a little sick. Other people he's fought were always people that were arrogant in there abilities. And he hated arrogance. It drove him absolutely insane when someone started to monologue there plans or how they would never be able to defeat them. He could not stand it. But she. She took the beating and then some, and without a single jeer or mock towards him. It was apparent to him she just wanted to protect her friends, and that made him smile. Even thought he was in a dark guild such as Grimoire Heart, he still felt close to some of them. Ultear and Hades in peticular. He definitely couldn;t say that he was a stone cold hearted bastard that felt nothing. He was still human, and felt emotion even if he tries to put on the tough guy act for every one. And such a display of selflessness really awestruck him as inspiring.

Erza was confused as It looked like the pink haired man in front of her was having a conversation with himself. But to be honest, she was glad to have a break from being thrown around. She could hardly believe it herself, much less the chance that she managed to come across such a strong mage all the way out here in Clover town. She could tell from there that he was much stronger than her by an exceptional margin. But she still had so many questions that were flying around in her brain. Who was this exceptional mage? Where did he come from? And why did he have the flute? Surely he could of disposed of Erigor, but she didn't see a body anywhere in the area as she could she. Then something happened that was so unexpected she swore she was dreaming.

What she saw was the Lullaby flute in the air. The pinkete had thrown in to her, and she was dumbfounded by this. "Here its not worth the trouble." Natsu walked away a little before stopping and turning back around. "Oh, names Natsu by the way." He said in a voice that was smooth as silk that made Erza feel a warm tingly feeling in her body as she fell to her knees. Natsu then with his fire magic rocketed off in a flash over to the direction of clover town. Leaving a dazed Erza sitting there on her knees like an idiot. "ERZA!" Gray exclaimed. "Don't worry well be right there." Gray then with his maker magic make a spiral down to the ground from the bridge and him and Lucy slid down. Much to Lucy's fright. Gray ran up to Erza and helped her to her feet. "What in the hell just happened!" Gray could no longer contain his frustration. He wasn't mad at Erza, but at the situation that he could do nothing to help. "I really don't know what happened either. Now that I try and think back on it, the more it all seems like it was all a blur." "Yeah, but he still went over to clover so we can still try and confront him and see if the masters are all okay." Gray suggested to the scarlet mage. "That's probably the best thing to do." Erza then turned to Lucy who stood there looking down. "What's wrong Lucy." Erza questioned the blonde. "It's just, I felt so useless." She stared to cry and tears dripped off her chin.

"Lucy don't feel bad, I felt just as useless. I was completely at his mercy." Erza said as she started to feel anger and confusion stir in her heart. "There wouldn't have been anything we could have done." Gray said putting a hand on Lucy's shoulder as she then cried into his chest. "Lets just be thankful that he seemed to take honor in his fights. And move on." Erza looked up at gray and gave off a sorrowful smile. "Thanks Gray, c'mon we have to get to Clover." They all shook there heads in agreement and Gray lifted them up to the bridge with an ice platform. "Hey Erza, let me drive this time and take a break." She was about to object, but them decided to take up the offer. "Ok, thanks." She smiled to her comrade.

Erza then sat next to Gray in the front bench of the magic mobile as Lucy got into the cab, her eyes still red from crying. Gray then attached his arm to the SG plug and started racing to clover.

* * *

An old man sat on a stump reading a magazine while he had a light blush on his cheeks. He then heard th yelling of some familiar voices in the distance as they were running to him. He blinked one and then twice, thinking that he was just imagining thing. But he saw two off his children and someone he's never seen before running up to him. They then stopped in front of him. His children smiling at him, glad that he was okay. But what Makarov saw shocked and appalled him to no end. It looked as if Erza had gone through the depths of hell itself. The shot mag standing up on the tree stump. "Erza, my child. Whose done this to you." He was furious to see one of his beloved guild member in such a state of disarray. "It's okay master, he fled the scene after out fight in clover canyon." Makarov she questioned her further. "Did you drive him off, and what direction did he go." He needed to know the man who did this to one of his children. But then was shocked as Erza broke down and fell to her knees.

"No, I failed the guild." she sobbed. "We encountered him on the bridge an I provoked him. I was reckless and, and assumed I could easily take him." Erza couldn't back her tears as they flowed down her cheeks. Gray and Lucy just looked down at there feet in shame. "There, There. Please continue" Makarov said as he patted Erza's should in an attempt to comfort her. Erza tried to control herself so she could relay what she knew. "To put it bluntly, he out classed me in his combat skill and overpowered me with his magic. There was no possible scenario where I could have won." Makarov was shocked to hear this from one of his strongest mages. He continued to listen in on what she had to say. "But it was odd." Erza trailed off thinking about the events that transpired. "What was child." Makarov curious what had Erza so confused.

"Even thought the midst of the battle he was able to control himself. He stayed calm and collected and was very precise and exact in his actions, even more so than I am. And whenever I was knocked down he usually gave me a breather before continuing our dual." Makarov thought for a second about it, picturing what she was telling him. Gray then interjected into the conversation. "Yeah, it was really odd. When Erza was hit and flew into the cliff, he looked at us briefly before jumping down. And even then he gave Erza a second to regain her footing." "It's apparent that you all encountered a battle hardened mage that has great knowledge in the field of combat. It was out of your control, so do not blame yourself my children." Makarov then looked at Lucy and decided that he would try and change the subject. "So whose this." The white haired elder questioned them. "Oh." Erza blinked with a sweat drop, completely forgetting that Lucy was there. "This is Lucy, she's the newest member of the guild. Erza picked her up in Hargeon." "I see." Makarov said while closing his eyes in thought. "It's nice to finally meet you." Makarov smiled for the first time since they've been speaking.

"I'm happy to have joined." She returned the smile. Makarovs face turned back into a frown. "So why have you come here in the first place." Erza then told the elder of their objective. "We came after I had heard rumor of Eisenwall looking for magic artifact." Erza then stood back to her feet and regained her composure. "I brought along Gray and Lucy, I was not fool enough to defeat a dark guild without backup." Makarov nodded as he listened intently. "We rode the train to Oshibana, but is was hijacked by some members of the Eisenwall guild." Erza then looked to Gray as he knew what was coming. "But before the train stopped at the station, Gray managed to find a way to make the train jump the track." Gray was ashamed of this and there was no way he could make up for the lives lost. "Jumped the tracks!" Makarov shout. "What of the passengers.'

Erza looked back to Makarov and crossed her arms and closed her eyes. Remembering all the bodies strewn around the crash site. "The train ran through multiple buildings collapsing them and from what I saw of the crash site." Erza hesitated before taking a deep breath. Makarov could see where this was going, knowing what she was going to say. but no wanting to hear it outright. "Most of the passengers are dead or heavily injured." Makarov feared this was what she was going to say. Suddenly Gray got on one knee and bowed his head to Makarov. "I'm sorry master, I was reckless and the innocent passengers paid dearly for my mistakes." Gray was surprised when Makarov did not yell, but spoke in a caring and warm voice. "Do not fret the little details, my boy. You've learned from this experience have you not. And yes, the lives of those who died cannot be forgotten. Let me deal with the council. Take this experience and learn from it , make sure that you don't allow for it happen again." Makarov gave him a thumbs up to Gray and gave him a wide smile. Gray knew he would never repent for the lives lost, but with the words of the master in his mind. He could at least see some hope at the end of the road.

And with that Makarov looked back to Erza and then said. "Please now, tell me the rest." Erza then composed herself and relayed the rest of what she knew. "They were after a flute lullaby which possesses black magic." Erza handed the flute to Makarov and he looked at the creepy three eyed skull design. Erza continued. "There ace Erigor took the flute and flew off. He was able to fly because of his wind magic." "So you were able too take the flute from this dark mage." Makarov inquired. "I got the flute from the mage I met on the bridge, after our fight he threw it to me. Saying that it was not worth the trouble." Erza finished, letting the master take a second to think. But suddenly the flute started to glow an eerie purple glow. Then in a demonic voice the flute said. **"I'm tired of waiting! I'll take your souls now!"** Then the flute flew into the air and with a puple shroud the flute grew into a massive demon thirty meters high.

"A demon!" Said the other guild masters as they ran outside as Lullaby destroyed a portion of the town with his feet. **"I'll take all your souls!"** Then lullaby started to gather magic in his mouth as it formed into a magic sphere. **"You'll all die by my..."** He never finished as everyone heard a loud yell. **Fire dragons Secret Art : Fire Storm!** Suddenly the ground started to shake as a hurricane of fire surrounded Natsu, him acting as the eye of the storm. The flames enveloped lullaby as he screamed out in despair. As the fire all dispersed, the demon of Zeref and everything else in the area of the storm was gone. Leaving only a giant crater. Everyone stared dumbfounded by the extraordinary power radiating of the boy standing in the crater. Makarov saw the man and instantly knew that this must have been the one to have put Erza into such a state of disarray. Natsu then stated to walk off.

Gray scowled at the sight of the man and yelled to him. "Hey!" Grey yelled out to the fire mage. "Don't Provoke him!?" Lucy said tugging on Grays white coat. "You think you cam just walk off after what you've done to Erza!" Natsu turned around and with a bored face he spoke to Gray in a calm voice. "Yes, I think I can." He said as he started to walk off. The other guild masters didn't know what Gray had meant and looked at Erza. "Oh dear." Master Bob of Blue Pegasus worriedly spoke after seeing the injuries encompassing Erza's body.. Gray fumed and was about to run out to Natsu. "Gray that's enough." Makarov said not wanting any further violence to ensue. "But master." gray looked down. "I can't just sit back and let people step all over us and walk away. Fairy Tail protects it's pride and it's members no matter what!" Gray swiped his anger over to the side as he tried to explain to the master.

When Natsu heard the words "Fairy Tail" come out of the ice mages mouth he immediately stopped walking away. The only person noticing this being Lucy as she watched him. "Gray's right master, we can't let someone just walk away from us like this. It Humiliating!" Erza joined in with Gray. "So you can just be beaten again, because you held a grudge. Don't forget you told me your the one that provoked the fight." Makarov was now angry that his children could not see it his way. He wanted them to learn to move on and next time be able to stand across from the enemy and say they don't hold a grudge or feel hatred toward them because it is beneath them. He did not want them to be consumed by a need for revenge. "Uhh, guys." Lucy said, but no one heard as they were too wrapped up in the conversation between Makarov, Erza, and Gray.

"We just want to make it right." Gray said staring intently at Makarov. "To you it may seem right, but to others it may seem like the wrong thing." Makarov said. Erza fumed. "But master aren't you on our side." Makarov finally snapped at them. "I'll always be on your side! But..." Lucy interrupted. "Guys!" Lucy yelled out, catching the attention of everyone. "WHAT!" Both Erza and Gray screamed at her. Lucy slowly pointed her finger and said in a meek voice. "He's coming back." They all turned there heads in unison at the sight of the pink haired mage. "What's going to happen?" One of the other guild masters gasped out. "You wanna go you bastard." Gray said as he gathered his magic and raised his fists. Gray was ready to pummel him to the ground, he could barely hold back from his anger. Makarov stood carefully watching the fire mages approach as he walked up to the group.

Natsu stopped three meters away from the Fairy Tail mages a stoic expression sprawled across his face.. Erza was so tense, there was no one here except for the master that could take down the man in front of them. Natsu stared into Erza's dark brown orbs making her stare back at his onyx one. She felt drawn to him for reasons she couldn't explain. But then to everyone's surprise he then took a kneel putting fists on the ground and bowed his head to the Fairy Tail mages. He then raised his head and looked at Erza again before looking to a furious looking Makarov. He took in a breath and started. "I am deeply sorry for the inconvenience that I have cuased to you and your subordinates in the last hour, this was all a clear misunderstanding. Sir." To say they were shocked was an extreme understatement considering that not even thirty minutes ago Natsu had beaten Erza within an inch of her life. Especially Gray.

"However, I will say that she started the assault and I finished it." Natsu then stood up and pointed to Erza as he continued his apology. "I had no intention of harming her, but she insistent on fighting me and I was forced to take action. I would not have accepted her invitation to combat had I known she was a member of the Fairy tail guild." He explained to the elder who was still suspicious but accepted this mans words as truth. "Forced to take action! You mean when punched her into the fucking cliff! Is that what you call defending your self!" Gray shouted at the top of his lungs at the man. He was absolutely furious. But he couldn't do anything which only made it worse. "Gray wait, He's right I was the one the provoke and continue on the fight." Erza said grabbing Gray by the shoulder to prevent him from doing anything rash. "I only fought you miss..." "Scarlet, Erza Scarlet." Erza said still analyzing his movements closely.

"Yes miss Scarlet, I fought because I thought you were a dark mage trying to get the flute for yourself. I realized you weren't after we started our fight." Natsu found what he was saying ironic since he himself was a dark mage. From Grimoire Heart no less. Natsu then walked over to Erza as everyone tensed from his approach. But Erza was tense for a different reason. She was tensed because now that she was out of the battle, she got to get a good look at him. And she couldn't complain. Natsu looked to Makarov and said. "Actually I was here looking for Fairy Tail." This caused a wave of confusion over the mages and inquiry by Makarov. "What business did you have with me." Makarov had to keep his bias open. It was difficult to just out right trust this man because of what happened to Erza. But in the long run he had to practice what he preached and put it in the past.

"Well I had heard of Fairy Tail from my homeland of Iceberg." Natsu lied to the elder. "There where stories of powerful mages that presided here. And it was my hopes to join your guild." Natsu spoke softly. "Putting todays events behind, you seem to be well natured and are fully welcome to join my guild. your real problem is gaining the trust of its members." Makarov could not be mad at the boy, it was a simple misunderstanding. But he feared that his children would not have as easy of a time trusting him. "Gramps you can't be serious!" Gray shouted at the elder as his face showed a mixture of anger and confusion. "My boy, I'm just as angry as you of what he put Erza through, but the difference is that we never gave him a chance. You threw him into a fight and labeled him a villain. Does that seem fair." Makarov tried his best to be a voice of reason, but even for him it was difficult. He still needed to have this boy prove himself.

"I guess not, but I still don't like it." Gray scoffed but understood what master was trying to get across to him. "Don't worry Gray, were in the same boat. But we should should give him a chance like master said. A chance to prove himself." Erza smiled to Gray and Lucy. Then Lucy stood forward and stuck out her hand. She was still a little terrified, but she was willing to forgive him. They watched apprehensively as Lucy waited for him to return the handshake. Natsu looked at her a second before taking a few steps over to Lucy and shook her hand. " A pleasure to meet you, again. Or on better terms that is. " Natsu said not sure what to say. His stoic act broken by his inability to think of the right words made Lucy smile. As she nodded to him and greeted back. "Nice to meet you too."

Then the pinkete looked at Erza and then walked over to her. Natsu stopped dead ahead of Erza and he outstretched his arm and landed his hand on her shoulder. He stared into her eyes, examining them. She felt a little uncomfortable but also had a warm feeling pass over her body. "I am truly sorry for the harm I've caused you, I don't expect your forgiveness." He started but then Erza interrupted. Turning back to a stern and stoic face. She was surprised by his words though, most would beg for forgiveness but he said he didn't expect it. "You won't receive any." She said a little too harshly, even Gray thought that is was. He nodded to her and then walked to Gray who wouldn't look at him and had his arms crossed.

"Don't expect a handshake." At this Natsu chuckled a little bit and then gave Gray a rough pat to the shoulder almost knocking him over in the process. Makarov was delighted to see that they were at least somewhat getting along.

Natsu smirked to himself. It would seem the plan was working, he was ready for the next step in his plan. The infiltration.

* * *

**To be Continued...**

**This chapter was hard to write for two reasons. A being that I did not them to outright reject him after his formal apology. B was that they would accept him with open arms. Too much in either direction and it would not sound right or would be weird. And honestly it was hard to make them give him a chance him so suddenly. I wanted to have him go away and then come back another chapter. But... Then I would not get to do the big welcome to Fairy Tail reveal. So it was worth the awkwardness while writing the scene.**

**And I know, cool an OC enemy. If you know you anime then you'll know what I mean. I can't describe him like I can here in the story. So think of and full grown Toshiro from bleach with black hair and robe as decribed in the story. Then the armor on the legs imagine the one Meliodas has in the flashbacks in season one of Seven deadly sins. That's him. **

**Please leave comments on what you thought and have a nice day. I hope you enjoyed reading the story, because I know I enjoyed writing it. **


	4. Problem Child

**I do not own Fairy tail, that belongs solely to Hiro Mashima**

**Welcome back to chapter four of the story. Please leave comments on what you think and any criticism. By the way it's slower to write on weekdays, so expects slower updates during. **

**Enjoy the Story.**

* * *

Chapter 4 : Problem Child

July 6, X784, Clover

As Makarov watched his children trying to socialize with the fire mage he saw in the distance a group of men marching in formation in white uniforms toward them. He immediately pinched the bridge of his nose as he knew exactly what was coming. The group of council Custody Enforcement Unit then stopped in front of Makarov and then turned to Erza. The officer then stated in a gruff voice while holding out a scroll. "Erza Scarlet!" He yelled. "By decree of the Magic Council, you are forthright under arrest for the destruction and deaths in the town of Oshibana and will be put to trial as such." He then took a step to the side as one of the soldiers took magic cuffs and slapped them onto her wrists. "No, you can't do this!" Gray ran up to the soldiers as they held up there spears in defense of their newly captured prisoner. "Stand down or you will be arrested for attempted rescue of a convicted criminal." The officer said in a calm and collected voice. Gray stood back looking furiously at the officer but then turned and walked back beside Lucy.

"Well then we are on our way back to Era, Company march!" The officer then screamed out to the unit as Erza looked back to her friends once more before they pushed her to keep moving. "Gramps this isn't fair. I was the one that caused all the damage." Gray threw his fists to his sides in anger. Lucy looked at Gray unsure of what just happened and what to do. "What happened in Oshibana?" Natsu was curious and relieved that the officer didn't seem to notice him. "None of you damn business." Gray moodily said walking over to Makarov. The elder then spoke out.

"Gray, you'll just have to accept that sometimes the world in unfair. Even though you were the person who did it, people saw an S-class wizard and assumed it was her." Makarov put his hand to his chin. "Now it will be best if we head on back home. And wait for the results of the trial, there is nothing you can do now that the council has a hold of her." Gray scowled. then shouted out. "Not only has Erza been taken." Gray paused and glared at Natsu who stared back with a bored face present. "We have to go back with this bastard." He pointed to the fire mage.

"Hey c'mon Gray, haven't we already agreed to give him a chance." Lucy said in Natsu's defense. "It's okay blondie, let him say what he has to. It makes no difference to me." Lucy looked back a little confused at the pinkete but just went with it. "Appreciate the thought though." He calmly said then walked over to Makarov. "I'll follow you back to Fairy Tail. But we should leave before it starts to get dark." Natsu said not wanting to travel at night. "That will probably be best." Makarov said still in thought. He was still going to keep a watchful eye on this one for a while. He just felt something off about him, something he couldn't understand at the moment. It was just a gut felling. Putting his thought to the side he then spoke out to them."Because the train will probably be out of commission for a little while we will have to cut across the canyon to get back to Magnolia." Makarov then started to walk as Gray and Lucy followed after him.

Natsu stood there for a second and then started to walk along with them. He didn't know how this was all going to turn out.

* * *

July 7, X784, Magnolia

The travel back to Fairy Tail went by smoothly and without any mishaps. They entered the city and started to walk down its busy streets full of life and positivity. Natsu felt so out of place in a town like this. He was so used to going into all the shady criminal towns and there equally as shady taverns for information scouting. He felt like he could just walk up to anybody and start a friendly conversation. Gray saw the way the fire mage was analyzing everything like a kid in a candy store that can't decide what he wants. "Never been around in a nice town like this have you." Gray said with a sly smirk, he was trying to lighten the mood a little. "No, I haven't." Natsu didn't find it funny. He was never able to be exposed to an environment quiet like this. "Oh." Gray dropped his smirk not expecting to try and hit a nerve with the pink haired mage.

"Gray that was just rude." Lucy smacked him lightly on the back of his head. "Well I was just trying to lighten the mood. You know, a joke." Gray said to her in a whisper. "Well I don't think he found it funny." She looked back to him and then back to Gray. "You know I can hear you right." Natsu said with crossed arms. And with that they went back to staying quiet. They followed Makarov who was silently listening to them and there curious small talk. As they turned the last corner Natsu laid his eyes on the magnificent guild hall that was Fairy Tail. And at that moment it occurred to him that the name was quiet odd. He had never thought of it before, but what did it even mean. He decided to ask before they went in.

"Excuse me but, what does it mean." Natsu said as Makarov turned to him knowing exactly what he was asking, as so many had asked before. "Fairy Tail is a guild on a never ending journey. A journey of whether or not fairies have tails. And we may never know for certain until you experience life's most wonderful mysteries." Makarov said sounding wise. "But take from it what you want." Makarov smiled and turned to enter the large building. That was pleasant, Natsu thought. He sounds like master Hades, just in a different light. Natsu followed them into the guild and that was when it all started.

First to enter was Makarov then Gray and Lucy. Natsu then decided to walk in after a second of thought. "Hey, welcome back master!" Mirajane said in her usual cheerful voice. "Welcome back gramps." Elfman said in an oh so manly voice. "So how went the mission Erzz..." Mirajane said as she noticed Erza was gone. "What happened to Erza!?" She said worried for her friend. "She was taken by the council." Makarov said as he sat on the bar counter. "What!" Some of the members yelled surprised to find that Erza was taken. "It's my fault, they should have taken me instead." Gray once again put a face of disgust on as he sat ashamed of himself. "While on the mission I made the train jump the rails and there were many casualties." Some of the members covered their mouths in shock." "Gray we've already spoken of this. It was all an accident, you were trying to defend the passengers. You did the best you could." Makarov said as he gathered the inspiration of the guild members.

"Well just have to wait for the trial to pass and wait to see, but there's no doubt in my mind she will go free." Makarov smiled to his children and then looked to Natsu who stood in the corner next to the entrance. "But we do have some good news." Then everyone looked to him wanting to here what this news was. Gray already knew what he was going to say. "We have a new member, come up here uhh." Makarov blinked as he just remembered he had never asked this boy his name. Every one then looked around and spotted Natsu as he walked to the master. "Natsu, Natsu Dragneel." Natsu said. Makarov then coughed into his hand and said.

"Hmm, Natsu ehh. Well anyways. Welcome to Fairy Tail Natsu Dragneel.". Everyone then looked at looked at the newest member of there guild, some thinking about his odd hair color. "Seems like quiet the hunk." Cana said as she took a swig of a bottle of alcohol. She was clearly buzzed at the moment. "Well Natsu." Mira said with a cheerful smile. "Where would you like your mark." She said grabbing out a large stamp. Natsu then thought for a moment. He had is Grimoire guild mark on his right shoulder. But was using magic to keep it hidden from them. He guessed he would just cover his mark with the Fairy Tail one. "I suppose on my right shoulder will do, black." He said as he moved his hand to scratch his chin.

And then with the stamp Mira put the mark on his arm. "There you go Natsu, welcome." Natsu raised an eyebrow at the excessively happy barmaid. "What's your name." He asked smoothly. And with a quick reply Mira said. "I'm Mirajane Strauss, but just call me Mira. And that's my brother Elfman over there." She said pointing to the tall take over mage. As everyonr started back to their own activities, they could be heard laughing and drinking together. "Well if you don't mind I would like something to drink, Natsu said sitting on the barstool and looking to the gorgeous Mira with intent eyes. She was a bit taken aback from his stare but paid it no mind. "Well what would you like." Mira said. Natsu thought for a moment. "Just an ale, thank you." He said and tossed to her some money. "Oh don't worry about paying, you just joined. It's on the house." She grinned to him and handed him a mug. "So where you from." Mira inquired the pink haired mage. "Iceberg, up north." He told as he took a sip from his mug.

"So you heard of us way up there, I'm surprised." She said in astonishment, she didn't know knowledge of Fairy Tail was so widespread. "You know, you guys are quite the guild, full of powerful mages. Its quite amazing seeing so many powerful wizards." Natsu couldn't believe the words coming from his mouth. He was definitely not someone to be in awe by the strength of mages. But it was important to keep up appearances while on the inside. "Well don't worry I'm sure you get your chance to show what you got, we all start out on the rough side." She then looked around the guild, thinking of all the people that have become so strong over the years. "But practice and training will always help to improve your magic."

She smiled to him. Gray then walked over to the bar having overheard the conversation. "Don't be fooled Mira, he's not what you think he is." Natsu internally scowled, he was not going to let this punk try and ruin things for him. "Hey now, we said we would put that behind us. Remember." Natsu said that last word much darker and looked at Gray. Gray looked at him thinking over if he should spill or not. "Fine, never mind. But you owe me pinky." Natsu wanted to bash this guys head in but remembered how that usually turns out.

Mira was udderly confused, but then decided that it was ultimately not her business. But she couldn't shake that there seemed to be some bad history for some reason. Natsu stood up and sat down his half drank mug on the bar. "Thanks Mira, well talk some other time." He stated in a irritated tone as he walked off. She just stood there and thought it best to just get back to work. "What was up with that." Cana said to Mira as she looked to the puzzled barmaid. Mira looked to Cana and shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea." She then looked over to where Natsu was. "Something happened for sure though. I really want to know what happened." "I suggest you don't put your nose where it's not wanted. Someone will tell you when they want to." Makarov said to them taking a drink from his mug. "Fine." Mira pouted.

Then Natsu looked around and saw no one was watching him. And so he started to look around the guild and saw a door on the back side. He walked in and it led to an underground library. "Huhh." Natsu sighed as he walked down the stairs to try and find anything useful. He looked at multitudes of names none catching his eye. But then a journal caught his attention and thats what he chose to start reading. It looked like it was well worn. He flipped to the center of the book and saw a diagram of some type of magic, many side notes around it. Didn't really seem that interesting until he turned the page. The entry was my someone named Pretch. He read something about an ankseram curse. Something about contradiction or other. Then he read of how this curse was one of immortality and that piqued his interest. These notes sounded like something he would keep his hands on. Not to bring to Hades, but just for personal study.

He stuck the book under his arm and continued to snoop around the library. He doubted he'd find anything important down here in the guilds public library, but it was at least worth a look. But then Natsu heard someone cough and turned to see Makarov standing there watching him. "Looking for something." The elder raised an eyebrow. He was suspicious of this boy ever since he laid eyes on him, but this only helped to add to his questions. "Just browsing." He tried to play it off smooth. But he knew that the elder was onto him. He just had to make sure he finds out nothing of his connection to Grimoire and he would be fine. Makarov had nothing, but he knew there was something. "I was just wondering what you were up to." Makarov gave a small smile and walked back into the the main guild hall.

Natsu wiped his forehead, he was sweating a little from the exchange and he was relieved to hear that the master did not pry. Natsu could not have any more suspicion roam around him. He had to get in close with the guild members to make sure they don't point at him as the suspect. Hades was right, this was already far more intense than most of his other assignments he had done in the past. He had to stay on his toes. And create a lie around himself. Had to make sure nothing slipped, or all hell could break loose. Natsu decided to walk out of the library and to the hall. He went through the door and was greeted to the sight of a guild wide brawl taking place. He saw Gray fighting some dude with a green jacket and glasses. As people were thrown around, then all off a sudden a person flew into him as he crashed into the wall with someone on top of him. He pushed him off and low and behold it was none other than Gray who was thrown by Elfman.

"What the hell is going on here!?" Natsu chided Gray as he wiped the dust off his pants. "This is how we have fun, you know. Let loose." Gray then pulled back his fist and socked Elfman. "Take this!" He yelled. "Let loose?" Natsu saw an opportunity for some fun, and then punched Gray. The ice Mage flew to the bar from the strike. "Ow." Natsu heard Gary moan in the distance of the brawl. "Huh, that was fun." Natsu laughed to himself as he walked over to a downed Gray. He stuck out his hand opting to help him up. Gray smacked his hand away.

"Like I need your help pinky." Gray smirked and then punched Natsu in the chest but unlike when he was punched. Natsu didn't even budge from his spot. Natsu then grinned and remarked. "You'll have to do better than that you stripper." The. Gray got a tick mark on his forehead. "Hey who said you could call me that!" Gray then launched a few ice lances at Natsu who dodged them. The fire mage then grabbed Grays wrist and threw him into the chaos of the brawl as Gray screamed. Natsu laughed at this and then turned to Makarov. "So how do jobs work?" Makarov was surprised to hear a mage of his caliber asking how to get a contract. Natsu saw this and explained.

"I used to just have the contract sent to me, then i go and meet up with the client." Natsu explained quiet vaguely trying not to give anything away. Makarov accepted this answer and pointed to the request board. "See that board, people send us requests for our services and you can choose what job you want." Natsu looked over and saw hat most of the jobs were quit low in the pay. The highest one being only J300,000 jewels. "Those jobs are quiet low paying, where are the higher ones?" As Makarov thought, this mage was probably used to doing S-class difficulty missions. "Well those jobs are reserved to the S-class mages on the second floor, But you are not one." Natsu would just have to accept that he'd have to take the easy jobs, even if it would bring no challenge to him. Natsu sighed and then said.

"Fine I guess." Natsu then walked to the board and looked at the requests. This will be boring, he thought to himself as he browsed his options.

* * *

July 7, X784, Council HQ, Era

Erza was currently sitting on the bench in her cell. Contemplating what she would tell the council of what happened in Oshibana and Clover. In her head it does not go well with the council, but she hopes she is wrong about it. This cell, it was very reminiscent of the one she stayed in during her time at the tower. She was not ready to face the council, but they would send for her eventually for her trial. Then almost on cue, she heard the footsteps of the guard. He then unlocked the cell door with his ring of keys and said. "Miss Scarlet, it's time for your trial." The mustached guard said and he led her out. He pushed her back to go forward. They walked down the dark corridor lined with cells. They then came to a solid wooden door with iron bracings. The other guard standing at the door let them threw. They were now walking in the main council building after walking up a stone stair case. Another guard joined them to escort Erza. They walked down the marble halls until they were outside the doors of the courtroom.

But they were stopped by a blue haired man in a white coat. "Siegrain." Erza said with venom in her voice. She hated this mans guts. "Why so angry miss Scarlet." Siegrain smirked wickedly as he walked up a foot from Erza. He picked up her chin and forced her to look at him. She wanted to slap that pompous smirk off his face. "What do what." Erza hissed. Looking into his wicked eyes. "I'm just here to remind you, not to mention you know what." He smirked "Can't have that slipping out now can we." He tapped her on the nose and walked off. "See you in the trial." His thought projection them disappeared. Erza scowled.

"Wow, you know some important people said one of the guard. They then walked to the door and let her into the court room. She walked to the podium as the Counselors studied her intently. She looked over and saw the jury, she didn't recognize any of them. Then with a loud and booming voice Gran Doma called out. "Erza Scarlet you stand trial for the deaths and property damage in Oshibana and Clover town." The other counselors nodded. "Do you swear to tell the truth and only the truth." Gran Doma's voice was powerful and stern. Erza looked to the council members and stated. "I swear by my honor as a member of Fairy Tail to tell the truth and only the truth counselor." She said her voice equally as stoic. "Then let the case begin." Gran Doma shouted and crashed his staff into the ground. Then the questioning began. "To start out we shall go over the facts of the case." Counselor Belno stated. She then read from a document report.

"The report documented by Officer Daqui states, In the crash site of the train, there are a total of 32 casualties and 79 wounded. Four buildings have been collapsed when they were hit by the train that was derailed. Outside of the crash site there are 2 casualties and 11 wounded." She looked up from the report and looked to Erza. "Miss Scarlet, is it true that you and your associates were responsible for the derailing of the train?" Counselor Belno asked her. "Yes." Some of the members of the Jury gasped at this revelation. "See, we should put her away!" Counselor Michello shouted. "Enough! We do not rule anyone guilty until proven so in court of law!" Gran Doma bellowed out, not allowing chaos in his courtroom. Michello crossed his arms in frustration. "Continue." Gran Doma said.

"Now what is it you were up to while on the train?" Sage Org questioned the Scarlet mage. "We had heard rumor of a Eisenwall being after a magic artifact, which turned out to be a demon from the book of Zeref. Lullaby." She said to the shock of the jury. "And we must thank you for retrieving this for us, but how did it come to the train falling of the track?" Sage Org calmly asked. "It was my comrade Gray, I don't know the specifics. But while he was battling a dark mage they managed to list the train from the rails." Erza said thinking of the horrific scene in her head, it still made her shudder.

"Ok, but then you left the scene, why? Counselor Leiji inquired Erza. "A dark mage Erigor flew off with the flute in the direction of Clover. We found that they planned to kill the guild masters." The counselor were shocked as they had not heard this part of the story. "So you fought this dark mage and obtained the flute?" Counselor Hogg asked her. "No, it was given to me by another mage that I encountered in the canyon." Then counselor Belno asked. "Is that how you received those injuries." Ultear looked up previously not interested in the case. Until she heard this. Erza looked to her arms as she had bandages covering them.

"I fought this Mage in the canyon but was brutally overpowered. Afterwards he gave me the flute and rocketed off to Clover. I mean that literally." She ended and looked down. She was still confused about the fight herself. "So you mean you fought him and he just handed you the flute? It doesn't add up." Counselor Michello piped in. "I don't understand either, I'm just as confused about the situation." Erza looked back up to the council. Then Siegrain finally interjected. "Did you happen to catch the name of this mage." The blue haired counselor asked. Erza thought for a moment. Should she tell them of him, she had no debt to him. But he did give her the flute. She could throw him under the bus right now. But decided not to. "I did not get his name, unfortunately." She said. Some of the counselor so looked at her, trying to see if she was lying.

But then Gran Doma spoke. "There is also another account that says there was a portion of the town destroyed by the demon." He said. "However, witnesses say that it was not Fairy Tail that defeated the demon, but rather. A powerful fire mage." She started to sweat a little, she didn't want to give him away. Then counselor Ultear spoke a question. She knew now for sure it was Natsu that miss Scarlet fought. "Perhaps the same person that you fought. Sounds like a pretty good coincidence considering." She heard some murmurs heard by the jury and between council members. "So do you have anything to say for this, coincidence." Said counselor Michello. But before Erza could say anything counselor Belno spoke out. "This line of questioning does not have to do with the case of crimes stated in Oshibana." She said as Michello grumbled. "Agreed, counselor Michello stay on topic." Gran Doma boomed out."Getting back to the question. Did you have anything to do with the large crater present in Clover?" Erza quickly replied. "No, it was the fire mage." Then sage Org asked the scarlet mage. "What do you have to say in your defense for the deaths in Oshibana?" He spoke out sternly. "Sir, I have nothing to prove my innocence except that my comrades and I tried our best to protect them from the dark mages. But we failed to do so." She knew this was going to go bad, but this was worse. She was definitely going to prison. And there was nothing she could do about it.

The counselors spoke amongst themselves in a whisper before Gran Doma spoke. "This trial is adjured for the moment, everyone wait outside until our final decision is made. " And with the slam of his staff everyone was out of the courtroom. "Well now it seems that we have a decision to make." Gran Doma said. "I believe she should rot in prison!" Michello rasped out. "Well I believe she should go free, be it that she was in charge. She was not personally responsible." Org said in her defense. "I think we should give some repercussion to her action." Counselor Belno then looked to Leiji for a response. "Well I believe the facts tell us that she should be held responsible." Michello nodded in agreement. Yajima who had stayed quiet till now spoke up. "I think we need to let her go this time as a warning like we said we would." Michello looked to him. "Yes, but that was before 34 people died." He growled.

"Maybe we should, but. We should keep miss Scarlet on a tighter lease. And should something happen again. There would be no need for trial. Only for her to go to prison." The other council members thought for a moment at this proposition. Siegrain smirked to Ultear, but no one else noticed. Then Ultear spoke. " Yes I believe that we should. This time use her as the scapegoat. There is no next trial." "I believe this to be a suitable plan for her." Hogg said. "Yes we'll give her a chance, but no more after." Sage Org agreed with the other counselors. Leiji interrupted. "But if there is no repercussion this time, there could be nothing learned in the future."

"Yes, but the point is that want her to mess up so we can lock her up for good." Michello rasped. "We may have many things against the Fairy Tail guild, but that should not influence our decision in this case." Said counselor Yajima. "Agreed." Gran Doma said. "But in in this case we can pin blame on the Eisenwall guild as well, since they did raid the train." Counselor Belno said. "That is true, they only defended them." Counselor Hogg said in compliance. "Counselors, have we made our decision?" The Chairman asked. Every counselor nodded there head some not as agreeably though. "Then let the final decision be heard."

The guards then opened back up the doors for the jury and Erza. The scarlet mage walked back up to the podium. She waited in anticipation for the answer. She was sure she was going to prison by now. "The council has discussed the matter and has made there decision." Gran Doma shouted to the courtroom. Everyone on the edge of there seats. "By decree of the council, we find the S-class mage Erza Scarlet innocent of the crimes in Oshibana, on condition however." Everyone was shocked to here this, especially Erza. What, a condition? She thought. what could they want me to do?"The condition being that if ever you find yourself under suspicion. There will be no trial. We decided that you stood in defense of the innocent and should be thanked as much. Consider yourself lucky." Gran Doma finished and the counselors nodded in compliance with what was spoken. "Now Erza Scarlet, you may walk out of this courtroom a free woman." Then almost instantaneously, the guards unlocked her magic restraining cuffs. Erza was thankful for the decision, but was wary of the condition that followed. She had so make sure to clean up her act in the future.

Erza was then dismissed from the room and walked down and out of the council building and into Era proper. It was quite a beautiful city bit it didn't have the same charm like Magnolia did. She walked through the streets and found the train station. "Geez, how long will it be to get back." She said as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

* * *

July 8, X784, Random Dungeon, Giltena

A woman with long dark green hair that reached down to her curvy hips walked down a dim corridor of stone. She wore a black kimono with white tracery with pain leather sandals. And she displayed black eyes that had a tinge of red to them. The walls were carven stonework that were gargantuan. The halls were at least fifty foot tall and thirty foot wide. There were blackened scorch marks on the walls that were a indication of large battle fought with fire. She cam up to a large circular room that had pillars around the edges and it looked like a tower. The pillars had layers between the another pillar on top as they spiraled up as far as the eye could see. In the middle of the room was a glowing black orb with thin red lines in a draconic rune pattern. She walked over to the orb when she heard shuffling up in the spiral tower above. Then from out of the darkness came a large red dragon, with what looked like a long white beard and a yellow underbelly.** "WHO DARE STEP FOOT IN THIS HERE TEMPLE!"** The large dragon bellowed out. "I can for the orb oh mighty Fyjeron, lord of fire dragons." She bowed to the dragon with one hand to her chest and the other back in the air.

**"WHY HAVE YOU COME FOR THE ORB!"** Fyjeron screamed. **"YOU BETTER HAVE A DAMN GOOD REASON!"** he was ready to burn her to ashes. She looked up to the dragon and spoke softly. "I come to retrieve this orb for my master." She then stood up straight from her bow. "He has need of it." She smirked, unafraid of the dragon before her. **"THERE IS NO WAY I CAN LET YOU LEAVE, DIE NOW!"** He then blasted the woman at full force with his powerful flames of purgatory. When the dust cleared form the assault the woman was nowhere to be found. "It seems you have your edge in your old age." "WHAT!" The woman smirked and then put up a giant green magic circle in front of her hand. **Dragon Tamer Art : Wyvern!** Then out of the magic circle came out four wyverns green in color. **"YOU THINK THAT WILL STOP ME!"** Fyjeron then bellowed another cataclysmic fire breath. But the Wyverns still survived even though covered in burns. "They wont stop until they die, they are my loyal creations." She smirked at she saw the wyverns try and claw and bite the elder dragon. He then swiped them and they spurt out blood from there slashes and dropped cold onto the stone. Se then jumped from her spot onto the dragons back, in which he tried to swipe her off of him. She then cast another magic seal. **Bloom**** Dragons Spore Growth!** The temple started to tremble as some of the stone crumbled. Enormous trunks and vines started to burst from the ground. Then they bloomed and released poisonous gas into the temple. **"AAHHHH!"** The mighty fire dragon yelled out from the pain in his lungs. The attack was working quiet effectively.

**"THIS MAGIC, I KNOW ONLY ONE DRAGON THAT COULD HAVE TAUGHT YOU THIS!"** He boomed as he coughed out. Then with another thunderous fire breath he vaporized the gas and stuck the responded with a defense spell. **Dragon tamer Art :** **Basilisk!** From the seal a large wingless dragon appeared and took the brunt of the attack for her and it drooped to the floor dead with a pool of blood.** "YOU WOULD SACRIFICE YOUR OWN DRAGONS AS FODDER!"** The dragon was now furious at the mistreatment of his fellow cousins. "Well you see I don't summon them from else ware. I create then with my life plant dragon magic. So they are mine to use as I please." She kept her smug face. **"HOW HAVE YOU COME ACROSS SUCH MAGIC, THE ONLY OTHER DRAGON I"VE KNOWN TO POSSES SUCH MAGIC DIED OVER 500 YEARS AGO!"** Fyjeron was confused as to how a human could have meet the forest dragon empress from so long ago. "Well you see, lets just sat my master is a coinsurer of lost magic." She told of her master to the furious dragon lord. COULD IT BE HIM. The mighty fire drake thought to him self before he then started to fly up and launched another breath attack at her which she then launched herself into the hallway over to the right to dodge the oncoming attack.

**"YOU ARE STRONG DRAGON SLAYER, BUT YOU WILL STILL DIE BY MY FLAMES!"** He roared as he flew down the spiral tower straight to her. **Bloom Dragons Sunflower Aura!** With that spell cast a giant sunflower grew from the earth beneath the stone and willed the room with a blinding light. Then in a flash Fyjeron was no longer in the temple. He saw that he was flying along with numerous dragons beside him. But then in the distance a black and blue dragon came and soared into view. He was shaking in fear at the sight, what was this. How could Acnologia be here, this gave him a strange sense of deja vu. Then with a blast of blue flame, one of his comrades drooped from the sky and to the earth below with a puddle of blood forming beneath. Acnologia was now on them and he tore one of the dragons clean in half. As the other dragons tried to fend him off, but failed to. Fyjeron could only stare in shock as his friends were all dying again. This was the dragon war. How can this be happening. But then it clicked in his mind why Acnologia had not tried to attack him, an idle target. This was just some illusion created by that woman. HOW DARE SHE CAUSE ME TO RELIVE THIS AGAIN, SHE WILL DIE! He thought as he then tried to break free of this spell.

In the real would the Woman watched in anticipation. The magic artifact now within her hand. She knew he would get out eventually. She was no longer smirking but rather had a solemn face instead. She was not all the way sure how she could defeat this enemy. She expected this old dragon ruin to be void of a watchful guardian. She knew this dragon could probably kill her if she gave him the chance, she had to stay on her toes. But she could not fail master. His punishment for failing to retrieve the artifact would be worse than death, and she did not want that. She figured she would wait to finish him off, or she might risk this dragon chasing her to the ends off the earth trying to kill her. Then with a sudden jolt the dragons seemingly lifeless body started to regain consciousness. then in a beaconing roar he shouted. **"HOW DARE YOU PUT ME INTO SUCH A MEMORY!"** He roared out fire as she tried to dodge but only managed to pull vines around her body to form a shell. Luckily she was fast enough before the attack struck her. **Bloom Dragons Raging Forest!** Then like a angry god, the temple started to break apart as giant trees and vines grew from every direction and pinned down Fyjeron. He kept slashing down the branches and vines to get to her but failed to as they kept growing. He was astonished by the level of skill this would take to perform.

**Dragon Tamer Art : Forrest Guardian! **The from a seal came out a massive green elongated dragon came out of the bloom circle and fought with the fire drake. With Fyjeron still pinned under the raging trees growing, the forest guardian slinked between the growth and bit him across the neck. This causing the elder dragon to wince in pain from the attack. Fyjeron then with his claws ripped large gashes in the chest of the guardian who released his neck and slashed back. They tumbled in the trees making a clearing once again. Then the elder fire dragon began to collect fire magic into a sphere in his mouth ready to get rid of the guardian and the surrounding trees. The guardian tried to claw Fyjeron's mouth to stop the attack but when fired off a giant explosion sounded off in the temple and destroyed most of the massive trees and killed the forest dragon. The woman was blasted back from the shockwave, but flipped in the sir and skidded o her feet. **"YOU THOUGHT A PUNY DRAGON LIKE THAT COULD DO ME IN!"** He smashed the temple ground and cause a miniature earthquake to erupt from the earth as the dark green haired slayer jumped and cast a spell. **Bloom Dragons Venom Whip! **Tendrils started to erupt yet again from the ground and slashed Fyjeron as he was then downed by the gash filled with greenish yellow poison seeping from it.

**"WHY YOU, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!"** Fyjeron was starting to feel paralyzed the exception being his face. He felt his entire body going limp and could longer move. "You see, my venom whip is able to immobilize its opponents. It is especially effective on dragons. As you can probably see." She then looked at him with a saddened look. "I do hate killing rare beasts you know." She then summoned at magic circle As Fyjeron had accepted that he would die. He has failed to protect that which he swore an oath to guard, he was utterly useless. It was always his desire for victory that brought him only loss. Just like when he took his friends to fight Acnologia for valour. And he was utterly defeated by the black beast. But then he was condemned from his thoughts from the sound of a spell being cast. **Bloom Dragons Thorn. **The woman spoke softly as a large sharp tree in the shape of a thon spike punctured his body and stabbed his heart with poison. Fyjeron could feel the life flowing out of him as he decided to ask one last question. **"MAY I BE HONOURED WITH THE NAME OF SHE WHO HAS SLAIN ME?"** He weased out barely breathing. She looked at the beast in sorrow. Such a magnificent creature slain, for and orb. "Hegemone." She uttered out as she saw the eyes of the dragon close for their final time. She then put her head to the dragons snout and spoke. "May you rest in peace." Hegemone then walked out of the battered spiral tower room and back into the large hall with the orb in hand and she looked at it eerily glow a dim black light and the red lines glisten just a little.

She walked back out of the temple from where she had entered from, she was relatively void of scratches or injury. She managed to win the fight without too much struggle. She then looked to the endless sky and thanked her master for the overwhelming power of the bloom dragon slayer magic she was trained to use. Compared to most slayer magics it was considerably more effective in killing dragons than many other forms. In the distance was the coast, and along it sat her ship.

Master will be please with me, she hummed as she skipped along to her vessel.

* * *

July 8, X784, Oaktown

In a large stone guild hall there was hundreds of mages chattering in the main hall. But up the stairway was a room with a throne. There sat on the throne a man whom wore a costume with a pointy wizards hat and wings with dark rings around his eyes, as he spoke to one of his underlings. "I want for you to to cause a ruckus over in Magnolia tomorrow night Gajeel." Said the seated man in his throne. "I see, so it's finally time for us to knock some fairy scum to the ground." The black haired man said licking his lips as he was ready to act. "Yes it it finally time to show the superiority of the Phantom lord!" Shouted the master of Phantom. "Go now, and leave a present for our fairy friends." He smiled wickedly as he sent of his trusted pawn. "Yes master Jose." And with that the man walked down and out, headed to leave a surprise for fairy tail.

* * *

**To be Continued...**

**Hope you enjoyed. Oh and just so you know, chapter three was a sample of how most of the fight scenes will play out. They will be long as i like to add lots of detail. So i decided that i would skip galuna but make it seem as if the characters did do it, just that I won't show it.**

**Arc after tower of heaven will probably do with the Original stuff that I'm hinting at. Anyway.**

**Come back and read whenever the next chapter is out. And sorry for the delay.**


	5. House Burning Down

**I do not own Fairy Tail, that belongs solely to Hiro Mashima**

**Welcome**** to chapter five, Sorry for the super late update. SOOOOOO. This chapter is pretty late. College can be a bitch. But now that I'm off for a while, I will have lots more time to wright. And sorry again. But who cares about me, you are here for the story. ****Just to let you know in case you did not already figure out, Natsu in this fic is a total asshole and will stay that way until later in the story when he is more accustomed to Fairy Tail. So anyway here is the next chapter.**

**Enjoy the story.**

* * *

Chapter 5: House Burning Down

July 9, X784, Magnolia

It was in the middle of the black night, a chill breeze in the air as a pair of red eyes stalked the large building before him, He smirked as there was no one there to witness. He jumped over to the guild hall and readied his magic. And with that, he created large iron pillars that skewered the building in every which direction. He jumped down to admire his handy work. The man then walked off into the darkness of the night and no one would find his present until the lights dawn the next morning.

* * *

July 10, X784, Magnolia

As Erza was walking in the streets of Magnolia and with her a scared Lucy and Gray. She was people looking and staring at them. One of them said. "Oh poor things, they don't know." Erza saw this and was curious by there stares and whispers. But then it all made sense. There it was, the place she has called home for half her life, punctured by beams of metal like a pincushion. "Erza whats wronn..." Lucy then covered her mouth as she looked at the guild hall. She had only known its warm presence for a little. But it still shocked her to see the guild in this state. Gray as well had his eyes widen in shock. "What the hell happened to the guild!" All but Natsu had said as they ran up to the entrance where Mira had come out to mournfully greet them back. They stopped in front of her and Erza shouted. "Mira, what happened!" She could guess what happened. But that would only get her so far. "Phantom got us good." She half whispered. She then lead them to the basement in which everyone was presiding at the time. "Master, we should pay back Phantom for this!" Gray screamed, he couldn't let this one slide. He had to show them what Fairy Tail was made of. "No use to fight cowards too afraid to attack during the day." Makarov took a sip of his mug and looked to a confused Gray. "The cowards attacked an empty building, there was no one that was harmed. So I suggest you just let it go. We'll fix the building and everything will be fine." Gray was twitching with rage, there was no way he could just do. Nothing. "Gramps, I can't just sit and let Phantom squash us under their boot." He yelled at the master who simply sat and took his words. "Gray!" Mira scolded the ice make wizard. "You know how hard it is for the master, but the law states that there are absolutely no wars between guilds." "Mira's right, we listen to the master and stay calm. We should not always resort to violence whenever we are faced with a problem." Erza taught to Gray as she had her arms crossed.

"Thank you Erza," Makarov said. "We must be the bigger person, and show that we can deal with problems like adults." He crossed his arms and looked around and then he noticed that a certain fire mage was not here. "Hey, where's Natsu," Erza said also seeing that the pink haired mage was nowhere to be seen. "Come to think of It, I haven't seen him since yesterday," Mira said remembering him sitting at the bar and talking to Cana. "Hmm, maybe he had something to do with it," Gray said but then Erza berated him. "Just because he's new, that doesn't mean you have to point blame." She punched gray in the head as she scolded. "Ow, ow," Gray said holding his throbbing head. "Well I was just saying that it was coincidental he was gone right now," Gray said. But then they all turned to see the footsteps heard from the stairs. And low and behold there was Natsu. "So who attacked the hall?" Natsu questioned as he walked down into the current base of operations. "How do you know it was attacked," Gray said accusing him. "Well, I don't know," Natsu said sarcastically putting his hand to his chin. "Let's see, giant beams. Unless that was you guys I would assume the hall was attacked, dumb ass." Natsu said with a bored face. "Why you." Gray was being held back by Erza. "Now now Gray, no fighting on my watch." She said with a dangerous aura around her. "Any who master, who did it." Natsu raised an eyebrow as he awaited his answer. "It was the guild Phantom Lord, I'm sure you've heard of them," Makarov responded.

"Yes, I've heard of them. Their master is also a wizard saint if I'm right." Makarov nodded to this. He took on a darker look. "Jose Porla." He said barely able to control his anger with the fellow wizard saint. "He would be the main reason we do not fight." Natsu was curious of this Jose, he wanted to fight a strong mage for once. "So that's it, your scared to fight." Gray said listening to the conversation." "Gray!" Makarov yelled, he was fed up with his child's constant bickering. "We won't fight because if we did, the council would punish us both dearly for fighting. And possibly disband us as well, you know how things between us and the council are right now." Makarov explained to Gray. "Well, maybe they won't consider it a guild fight if only a few people fought them." Gray finally suggested. But then Makarov used his titan magic to enlarge his fist and smash Gray. "Oww." He mumbled under the fist. "That's enough, my decision is final. There will be no more discussion about it." He declared as some of the members expressed their displeasure with the decision through clenched fists.

Then as they started to get back to there quiet small talk. They heard Bisca yell out as she ran down the steps. "Guys, you have to come see this!" She yelled as she got to the center off the room. "It's in the park, it's horrible!" She then started to run back out of the basement. Following her were a crowd of members anxious to see what was the matter. They all went to the park that was to the right of Kardia Cathedral. Erza pushed through the gathering crowd of civilians to get to see the sight before. And just like many others in the guild, the sight made her stomach churn. There was hanging in the tree Levy, Jet, and Droy. They were all crucified to the large central tree and below them, there was in there own blood the symbol of Phantom Lord. "Phantom!" Gray screamed in anger. Makarov walked through the crowd and saw his children hanging in the tree. He snapped his staff in anger as he started to release some of his magic power. "I can deal with our guild being smashed and destroyed! But I will not stand for my children being harmed!" Makarov was beyond livid now. You could forget about his earlier decision, there was no way Jose would walk away from this without a scratch. "Jose! This means war!" Makarov yelled as the others present screamed out in agreement. They would not let Phantom get away with this.

Natsu looked on from afar and observed the situation. "War huh," Natsu said. This will be interesting.

* * *

July 10, X784, Phantom Lord HQ, Oak town

"Hey did you hear, Gajeel messed up the fairy guild hall." The man laughed out. "Yeah, I heard he also beat some to a pulp as well." The other said as they laughed. "Those weak ass fairies don't stand a chance against us." Another said. "I think we should go out and clip some more fairy wings." They all then got up from there table and headed to the large wooden door. "We'll make those fairies cry." One of them reached for the door but suddenly the doors were destroyed and fell onto them as there was a large dust cloud formed. The Phantom Lord members were now all ready to defend their guild. Then when the dust disappeared. There shown the guild of fairy tail. "Fairy tail has come a'calling!" The phantom members stood in shock for a moment taking in what just happened. Then suddenly a loud thunderous call came from the rallying guild as they charged the phantom lord guild. **Ice Make Lance!** Gray screamed out as he jumped up and launched the missile attack to a few cowering men on the front line. Then the mages of phantom started to pour out from the other sections of the guild to the main hall to aid in their defense from the enemy attack. The lances struck and wiped them out. "Gray!" Erza yelled to her comrade in arms. "Try to be quick to defeat them, we want to finish this quickly." Gray nodded to her as he swiftly resumed back to his battle formation. Erza by now was requiped into her heavens wheel armor and threw a volley of swords out to incapacitate the mages. The fairy tail guild was making short work of the phantom grunts. Erza was curious as to why the element four were not here. She knew something had to be wrong. A trap maybe? She could not know for certain.

From up in the rafters, there sat a certain red eyed man. "Gihihi." He chuckled watching the ensuing battle unfold before him in amusement. "Looks like fairy tail is holding back, they left out three of there S-class. They are too confident." His smirk turned to a scowl as he would not let these pathetic fairies make a fool of him. Then with a quick motion, the man plunged down to the floor and this brought arrogant smiles to the faces of the phantom lord members. "Well never loose with Gajeel here." One of them said. Gajeel looked straight at Elfman who only rebounded and glared to the mage. " You'll never defeat me, I'm a real man" Elfman proclaimed and ran forward at Gajeel. **Beast Arm : Iron Bull!** His arm ten morphed as he pulled it back and rocketed his fist to hit the slayer. Gajeel then procured an iron club as a hand and deflected the block which shocked Elfman. "What!" He yelled. "Is that all you got mister man." Gajeel then swung his club in the shape of a semicircle and struck Elfman. Taking a few of his own men out in the process. "How could you take out your own men!" The Strauss brother exclaimed. "Don't matter, all that does. Is that I get to fight." The slayer sped at the take over mage and clubbed him in the gut and blew him away. "Is that the best fairy tail has to offer me!" Gajeel yelled as he looked over to a scarlet haired knight. Erza looked back and then shot toward him with a sword in hand. "I won't tolerate you trying to hurt my friends!" She swung at him and he dodged the blow.

But then from the confusion, Erza heard the master call out to her. " Erza, take the lead down here. I'm going to have a discussion with Jose." She could tell he was furious by the look in his eyes. She nodded as the little master walked up the stairs with no opposition. " Redfox! We will settle this here and now!" Erza then summoned her blades and let loose the swords. The Iron dragon slayer managed to dodge the blades except for one that sliced open his left cheek leaving a trail of blood down his face. "Ha, so you're not as worthless as I thought." He smirked and charged her with his knew iron blade. **Iron Dragons Sword!** He sliced down only to have Erza parried the blow. **Ice Make Hammer!** Gray had unleashed a surprise attack on Gajeel to attempt to help Erza. The attack rendered effective in distracting Gajeel for only a split second. But it was just enough to let Erza get a swing at Gajeel and she sliced his left thigh causing him to drop to his knee from the searing pain in his leg. "Gahhh!" He screamed out as he clutched his bleeding leg. Erza then pointed her sword at the iron dragon slayer and said. "Surrender now, and I won't have to hurt you any further." Her eyes were menacing and stern as if to try and break his will with nothing but sheer determination. But then the slayer shakily stood and spit out some blood from a cut in his lip. "You'll never be able to put me down." He said readying for another assault. Erza doing the same cocked her arms back and with her sword stood prepared. Gajeel rushed out from his stance and with his newly acquired iron club. When he reached the zenith of his leap, he plunged down in attempts to bludgeon the scarlet mage. Erza withdrew from her stance and held her blade in the defensive. Gajeel's club was parried by the sword and Erza swung the blade to put an end to it, but he puffed his cheeks when she got close and she knew what this meant. She hastily tried to dodge. **Iron Dragons Roar!** Erza held her ground in his attack. Compared to Natsu, this is nothing. She thought to herself only to come back to reality and saw a shadow through the slayer's roar. Erza then requiped a spear in her hands and threw it while her foot slammed down and launched it at Gajeel. Gajeel was shocked by the sudden spear that he narrowly dodged just then. If not for his senses he would have been dead.

Erza seeing that her attack bore no fruit in her favor then requiped another volley of swords to her side as she flew back. Then with the wave of a hand, the swords spun out in a circle formation at Gajeel. **Circle Swords!** The swords flew to the slayer and he vaulted over them. He then readied another attack. **Iron Dragons Club!** The club was stooped by Erza two armored hands which caught the iron dragon slayer of his guard and then she socked him in the face with a left jab straight to his nose. Gajeel was thrust onto the floor by the punch as some of the phantom members ran away from her in fear of her wrath. But then suddenly Erza realized something. Where was Natsu? Did he not come with us? She then called out to Gray from across the room, there was still fighting between the two guilds and it looked like it would continue for a while longer. "Gray! Have you seen Natsu!" She cried out as Gray finished off his enemy and looked over to where he heard the voice. "No!" He said as he thought of where he says the pink haired dragon slayer. "Last I saw him was at the park with Levy, Jet, and Droy!" He said but then he saw the figure bounding at Erza. "Titania! We're not done here!" Gajeel said. Erza turned and acquired a sword from her requip portal. She lunged at him and chopped at his head, he ducked his head to the side and kicked the scarlet knight. Erza with her hands pushed off the kick and back to the floor. Landing to her feet. She then decided then and there that her heavens wheel armor was not great for up close and personal combat. **Requip : Giants Armor!** She then with her enhanced strength stomped her foot down and launched herself at Gajeel. She then with her right fist punched him while he blocked the blow with his fists but was knocked back. Erza then requiped to her side a giant hammer and smashed down at the red eyed slayer.

**Iron Dragons Scales!** With the new defense Gajeel had to cloak himself with, he was able to take the brunt of the attack. Then at the snap of a beat, Gajeel was already ready fist cock back and summoning an iron sword and jabbed at the scarlet mage nearly stabbing her. But she ducked down and kicked him in the shin causing the slayer to thrust to the ground as she used her hammer to guide him. With the slayer smashed to the ground, it looked like Erza had won. "I've never seen Gajeel be overpowered like this before." Some of the standing phantom lord members trembled out as they watched in fear. Gajeel slowly got up again and smirked. "Hmph, your not bad Titania." He spoke out surprising the scarlet haired mage. She was then once more surprised by the small body that was falling seemingly lifeless to the ground. The old man laid there with blood coming out from a hole in his chest. "MASTER!" Was the word that could be heard by many of the fairy tail members. Many going over to his aid. As they did, nobody noticed the iron dragon slayer finding his way back up to the safety of the rafters. He too was surprised by the master of fairy tail dropping down. "Master!" Once more Erza screamed as she was on her knees and scooping up the master in her arms as some tears started to stream down her face.

* * *

July 10, X784, Upstairs of Phantom Lord guild

Makarov was meandering up the steps of a dimly lit spiral staircase. Magic rolling off of him in waves as he furiously anticipated to see Jose. As the magic made the whole of the building rumble and shake profusely. Then at the top of the stairs it lead to an exquisite set of mahogany carved doors. And with his fist, broke down the door with his titan magic. He then tried to calm himself as much as he could to look calm and collected. There sat a figure in the thrown at the end of the hall. He spoke to the elder with a smug smile accompanied to his face. "So Makarov, you've finally come to greet me. It has been a while since we last met face to face. Last I believe, we were at that gathering and I had had a little much to drink." He ended as Makarov steamed to him making small talk. "I did not come here for a little small talk Jose!" The white haired elder spoke. "Why have you attacked us, explain yourself!" He finally yelled. "Oh, so you would rather get down to business. Jose's smirk than faded on his black lips and turned to a calm but stoic demeanor. "You think I would let a guild such as fairy tail reign supreme while we, the Phantom Lord have always been the most powerful with the best wizards and the most money." He crossed his arms over his chest and spoke once more. "I would not lower myself to such a pitiful position, as to be second to a ragtag guild such as yourselves."

"So you would let something as trivial as fame get the better of you!" Makarov could not believe what he was hearing. "Does it matter so much that you risk the lives of your members or your title," Makarov said. Jose then spoke. "It is not as trivial as it is necessary to eliminate any doubt that we are superior. " He smirked with a twisted grin. "But I guess you won't have to worry about that for long." And with that said Makarov had had enough of this. He then with his titan magic smashed the thrown; but to his surprise, Jose's vision became fuzzy and returned to a normal state. He then stood up from the now destroyed thrown. "You coward!" Makarov bellowed. "You would not face me in person!" He could not grasp the cowardice Jose was displaying. "You should know just like I do that a battle between you and I would be cataclysmic. Especially with the two of us being renowned wizard saints." He said with a smug grin, as he explained to the elder. "Jose! Once I am through with you!" He paused as his body physically shook from his fury. "I'll have you stripped of your title and sent to prison!" But then Makarov suddenly felt a sharp pain from his back. What! How could I not have sensed anyone behind me? He thought to himself. But then his vision got blurry, he could not even bring himself to turn and see who it was. All he saw then was a thin blade through his chest, and blood dripping from the wound.

And then he felt himself being thrown through a wooden wall and then went unconscious. "Who are you?" Jose said cautiously to the figure in the shadows. "It's not a concern to you." He said solemnly. Jose was very surprised by this stranger. Where was Aria? Did he get to him too? But I can't feel any magic from this man. I can probably kill him. "Don't even think about it." Jose felt a shiver go through his body from the tone. So full of malice and hate. The man then walked through to destroyed door and the last thing Jose saw of this man was the glimpse of pink.

* * *

July 10, X784, Phantom Lord Main Hall

Erza scooped the master in her arms and called out. "Retreat!" Everyone turned to look at her in disbelief. "We must retreat, we can't win without the master." "But Erza, we can still fight," Gray spoke. "That may be so; however, we have to get the master to Porlyusica as soon as possible." She said while wrapping Makarov's chest with a cloth to try and stop the bleeding. "Fine." Gray sunk his head in compliance as many others did as well. They wanted to fight especially if it was to protect the master. But Erza was the voice of reason and they knew she was right. Many started running out of the phantom lord guild as the members were chased down. "Hey get back here, you can't just come here and expect us to let you leave." Gray then stopped and turned around, he would fend them off so everyone could get away. "Gray! What are you doing?!" Erza called out to him and he yelled back. "I'm helping everyone to escape, I'll be right there!" He turned back and started to fight the crowd of mages. "Just be safe, baka." She said to herself and turned to start running again. **Ice Make Wall!** A ten foot wall was then procured as it blocked the mages. Gray climbed to the top of it and then unleashed a volley of his ice lances. Then from his right, he heard a voice call out to him. "Oi pervert, need any help," Natsu said walking to the maker mage. Gray grew a tick mark on his forehead and yelled at him. "Hey, I'm not!" Putting his fist to the air and waving it at the fire mage. But then Gray turned serious and snapped at him. "Where were you, you weren't with us during the fight!" He paused for a second and then resumed. "The master is seriously hurt and you were nowhere to be found!" "No one said that I had to be there you know. Plus, it was stupid to go and fight phantom." Gray was furious, he could not stand this guy. But he knew that the master wanted him to get along with the pinkete.

"Now, now pervert. No need to fight. Don't you think you should at least deal with them first." He pointed to the men trying to tear down the ice wall. "I guess, but I still hate you." Gray scowled to Natsu. "Fair enough." Natsu then jumped onto the wall and leaped down to the other side. "Hehe, looks like this fairy is stupid." One of the grunt mages chuckled. "Yeah, we'll tear him limb from limb." said another. "Now that's no way for a light guild mage to be talking," Natsu said as he got face to face with the one who said it. The mage started shaking in fear when he looked into the void that was Natsu's heartless onyx eyes. But then the mages started to attack the fire mage. They launched spells from their magic weapons and to no avail, they missed when Natsu had bounded into the air and then put out his hand. Then a white magic seal appeared and out of the circle came white chains that he then whipped around. When he landed he used those chains to violently trip every mage in his vicinity. In the process knocking them all out. "What was that?" Gray said as he dispelled his ice wall, causing it to melt. "Oh, that was just called chain magic. I learned it from an umm. Friend," He slightly croaked out that last bit. Gray was not buying it but he knew he could not do anything to pry it out of him. "Well, should we go?" Gray asked. "There are more people in the building, but I suppose so." Natsu voiced. "It's probably that Iron dragon slayer guy, the one who destroyed the guild," Gray said irritated at the mention of the man. Natsu looked back at the building and then back to Gray. "Well I don't know about you, but I would like to go back to the guild." Natsu then started to walk away from the phantom guild hall and Gray begrudgingly followed in suit of the pinkete.

* * *

July 10, X784, Magnolia, Fairytail guild hall

Back at the guild hall, the members of fairy tail were all downtrodden as they sat in shame in the basement. Then everyone looked as Gray walked in and after him Natsu. Erza cast a glare at the pinkete. "So Natsu, why weren't you there when we all went to fight phantom lord?" She crossed her arms as some of the others looked at him, them noticing that he was absent from the fight as well. "Well as I told Gray, I didn't feel it necessary to fight with phantom lord." Many in the guild gasped at this. "What do you mean you didn't think it was necessary? They attacked our guild mates in cold blood and left them to die!" Erza said furiously at the pink haired dragon slayer. "Well maybe you all don't know, but the council does not condone guilds fighting amongst each other." He told her nonchalantly. Erza was livid, how could he be so calm about this? But then Gray walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey now, lets just calm down and figure out our next course of action. It'll be alright, just let him do as he wants." Gray glanced at Natsu briefly and nodded to him. "Hmph, fine." Natsu said. "Fine what?" Erza spoke curiously. "I suppose I can help, but if the government gets involved I am not going to take the fall." He said and walked up from the basement. This just lead everyone to be even more curious just who this guy was. "Man, that guy gets on my nerves." Gray said to Erza who was now sitting at one of the tables. "I know what you mean. But we did say that we would give him a chance." She said solemnly as Gray nodded. "You know, I don't think he's that bad though." Gray said. "How do you figure?" Erza inquiried the raven haired mage. "Well he did help me with hold back those phantom grunts, even if he still found a way to piss me off." He said with an irked smirk on his face. "Well I suppose it's a start." Erza pronounced as she shrugged her shoulders.

"OH." Gray said as he remembered something. "I almost forgot to mention. He has another type of magic he can use." He said as Erza had a surprised look creep to her face. "Really, what is it." She said. "Well it was kind off odd, but it looked to be very effective." He spoke think back on what he saw. "Come on get to the point." Erza said trying to rush him. "He called it chain magic, said that he learned it from someone he had trained under or something like that." He finished an awaited Erza's response. But what he saw kind of surprised him. She looked irritated as she bit her thumb. "Damn, just another thing that he holds over me." Gray noticed the way she said 'me'. As if she had something personal against Natsu, which was not like Erza to do that either. "Hey Erza, are you okay." He worriedly spoke to his friend. "I'll be fine, it's just that I still don't trust him, he could be up to something. And what scares me, is that I don't have the power to stop him." She clenched her teeth in frustration. Her words sank deep into Gray's mind. He knew she had a point. I guess we will just have to trust that he will come around. He thought to himself. But then trying to change the subject, Gray asked. "So how long will the master be out of action? Erza then was taken out of her daze and looked up to Gray. "Porlyusica said he would need to rest for a week before he will be fine, but she said that whoever stabbed him was a professional. She said that if we had brought him in even ten minutes later he would have bled out to much to be able to save him." Gray was shocked to hear this. "Really. Was it one of phantoms members!" He said as he clenched his fists in anger. "My best guess would be Aria of the heavens, but she said it was a blade that pierced him." She said and looked down in disappointment. "Which could mean it was someone else." Gray said in thought. "This is not boding well for us, first a war with phantom; and now a mystery man trying to kill the master." Erza nodded in agreement.

But before they could say anymore Lucy walked over and sat at the table. "What are you guys talking about?" She spoke hastily. "Just thinking over what happened, it all happened so fast." Erza remarked. "Yeah, I can't help but fell that I'm responsible for this." Lucy said in a quiet tone. "Hey now, don't go blaming yourself for this , it's not you fault, phantom attacked first." Gray would not his friends take the folly for this, everyone had a part to play in this mess. "But you don't understand, my father is the one who contracted Phantom Lord to bring me back home." "Wait seriously?" Gray spoke out. "Who's your father?" Lucy just looked down, not wanting to speak him name. "Gray, settle down." Erza asserted as she smacked Gray in the back of his head. "Oww, Erza." Gray complained as he held his head. This little interaction made Lucy smile a little. "Oh it's okay, my father is Jude Heartfilia and he is a cruel businessman, he'll do anything to get what he wants. I don't even know why he wants me back anyway. He didn't even notice I left for a year until it it was a benefit to bring me back. He doesn't even understand me." Lucy said and started to tear up. Gray then started frantically waving his arms at Lucy. "Hey come on, don't cry." "Yeah, I can't stand the sight of womanly tears." Elfman said as he appeared at the table. "Hey Elfman, why don't you butt out of the conversation." Gray said as he went back to being serious. "Fine, jerks." He then left them to there business. "Lucy, just like what Gray said, this is not your fault. This is you fathers doing and you should not feel you are to blame. Were friends aren't we?" Erza said with a smile and nodded to her. "But phantom will still try to come after me, so what will we do?" Lucy questioned the scarlet mage. "We'll fight for you, no matter what." "You can count on us to Luce." Gray said as he gave the blonde a thumbs up along with a smirk.

Lucy teared up again, but this time out of joy. "Thank you guys so much, you don't realize how much this means to me." "Don't sweat it Lucy, it's least we could do." Gray said as he turned to Erza. "Anyway, do you think phantom will attack us again Erza?" He said still a little on edge from earlier. "I can't be certain, but I believe they may retaliate." Erza said as they continued their conversation.

* * *

July 10, X784, Random Castle, Fiore

The air was bitter cold and threatened to give the first person it touched frostbite. The dark green haired woman Hegemone walked through the heavy blizzard and saw the outline of a castle in the snow. I hate this blasted mountain. She thought to herself. Why can't our base somewhere warm and tropical, but off course we have to he somewhere hard to find he says. She said mocking her master. As she walked up to the large stone carven bridge that lead to the castle. She walked across the bridge and just like all the other times admired the carved gargoyles and statues that lined the bridge in the gothic style. When the cathedral finally shown through the snow filled sky she looked at the large pointed arches with the beautiful stained glass windows that depicted battles between dragons and men. Then to the large spires and flying buttresses that soared into the sky with more statues of legendary heroes and of dragons. The giant wooden door with iron bracing creaked open due to the partially rusted hinges. It swung open and then closed behind her. She walked through the nave and looked to the towering pillars that lead to the vaulted ceiling. As she reached the choir she saw there was a stone pedestal that awaited a certain orb to be placed there.

As she placed the black orb on the pedestal it rose into the air levitating. "I see you retrieved what master wanted Hegemone." A man said with a smirk. He was of average height and had messy blue hair. He adorned a very tanned and exposed chest with blue marking across it. He was an almost tribal looking battle skirt that had palm leaves and exotic bird feathers. He also has seashell bracelets on both of his wrists and ankles and was barefoot. "Oh fuck off Aegaeon." She said irked. "And why do you never wear a shirt, it's zero degrees celcius up here." Aegaeon just chuckled. "Hey if you don't like the cold you can always just sleep with me and we can make hot and heated love." He said as he laughed at her red face. "Your such pig, you know the only reason I put up with you is because master thinks your a valuable member of the group." She then scoffed of turn her back to him. "Well fine be that way, but the offer still stands." Aegaeon said to Hegemone as he crossed his arms as well. But then out from the upper floor a voice called out to them. "Both of you, if your going to act like children then I suggest you take it outside." The man with long red hair said. He was tall and wore a white robe with golden highlights. There were two crosses turned upside down on the chest. And he held a book that also had a upside down cross. "Just because the master favors you, doesn't mean that you get to boss me around Helios, you got that." Aegaeon shouted up to the gallery. "Just keep it in your pants please." Helios said as he pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. Aegaeon then stormed off and Hegemone just smirked.

"So, Helios." Hegemone said. "Yes, to answer your question. The master will be here soon." He said with his face still stoic. "Just what I expect from you." She said as she leaped from the choir up to the gallery. She landed on the railing next to Helios as he then walked off down the hall. "Just make sure that you report to the master when he gets here or he won't be happy." He finished as he turned the corner. "Hmph." Guess I just have to wait. She thought. She then sat on the rail with her feet swinging as she looked down to the ground far below.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**I hope you enjoyed the story and again sorry for the wait. So there is definitely a lot of preposition to this as in with the original stuff. But i feel that every thing that happens needs to be built up instead of just throwing new characters out of the blue in a original arc. SO. I hope you don't mind the flip floppy nature of the story so far.**

**Also, don't forget to leave comments on what you think of the story and also criticism on what you think I could improve on or anything you think needs fixing. And make sure to suggest anything you think I could add since I can't think of everything. Peace out and have a good day. The next Chapter should be out shortly.**


	6. Help!

**I do not own Fairy Tail, that belongs solely to Hiro Mashima**

**Welcome to chapter 6. Another thing I want to make clear is the ages of the people. Natsu is older in this fic. He is 18 and not 16 like in the manga. You know, for legal reasons. Hehe. Anyway onto the chapter.**

**Enjoy the story.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Help!

July 10, X784, Mongolia

Natsu strode up the stairs and into the fairy tail guild hall proper. Jeez. He thought. This is a sorrow sight. He walked past all the beams of iron and to the main doors to the front. He went out and he walked through the town until he came across the edge and into a forest. His destination was the hut Porlyusica called home out in the towns outskirts. When he came up the abode he saw a cloaked man sitting upon a large tree trunk in front of the hut. He raised an eyebrow and spoke to the stranger. "Who the hell are you." He said with poison in his voice. The stranger sat a moment more and remarked. "Why such hostility?" The man said as he stood from his seat. His voice was somber and focused. Natsu was irked by this man. I'll show him why such hostility. Natsu thought, but put it aside. "I just came here to check on the master." He said a nonchalant expression adorning his face. "So your a member of fairy tail, I see." The figure said as he sat back down. "I'll take a guess and say your a member as well?" Natsu asked as the man simple nodded. "Quiet type huh. So whats your name." Natsu said bored of this interaction. He hated the quiet and focused types, always thinking. Even if he was like that as well. "You may call me Mystogan, I'm a S-Class member of fairy tail." "So what, you want me to kiss up to you." Natsu smirked waiting for the mage to get a rise out of his comment. "In fairy tail, you may do as you please so much as you call it home." The man said and then walked off into the forest. Leaving behind an irate pinkete.

"Well fuck you too." Natsu mumbled to himself as he walked to the hut and gave three knocks to the door. "Come in." He heard from the pink haired woman. He walked into the hut to find the elder man laying on a medical table that was surrounded with jars of herbs and saulves. He walked over to the table and stared at the downed master. He stood there thinking for a while until finally Porlyusica walked out from the backroom and saw him. "And just what do you think you are doing here in my hut, I already told you he will be fine as soon as he gets his rest." She spoke hastily as she snapped at the pink haired dragon slayer. Natsu then turned to face the elder woman and spoke out with a bland voice. "Just wanted to see how he turned out." She noticed his odd way of phrasing. She thought about it a moment longer and then said. "Hmph, just leave soon then." She snapped at him as she went back to her work. Natsu turned back to the almost lifeless body of Makarov. "Pity." He spoke softly and then turned to leave the hut and went out the door. Porlyusica looked up having heard what he said. Hmm, odd kid. Gives me the creeps.

* * *

Everyone at the guildhall was still sulking about the master and drinking away their sorrows. Erza and Gray were still talking with Lucy about what they thought could happen in the next day or two. Erza took a sip of some tea she had acquired. "Ahhh." She sighed because of the calming nature of hot tea. "Hey Erza, don't you think its the wrong time to be sipping tea when we to worry about an attack!" Gray said a little frustrated with the scarlet mage. "Hey! Don't get snappy with me!" She yelled causing everyone to turn their attention to her and they paled when they saw who it was. "Oh come on Erza, we can't kill each other. We have to watch for phantom." Wakaba said still smoking with his pipe. "Fine." She said taking another sip of the tea. As everyone went back to their own business, Erza looked intently at Gray. "So, do you think you are ready." She said with a very serious tone. This freaked Lucy out as the atmosphere suddenly got very tense. "For phantom, no problem." Erza looked at him with questioning eyes. "I mean if you have to fight someone who is stronger than you, do you think you got what it takes."

"Erza, I don't like the way your talking. Is this about Natsu?" Erza scowled at him. "He's not the issue, Gray." "Hey guys, come on lets just get along." Lucy tried to interject but was then shot down. "SHUT UP!" Both Gray and Erza bellowed as Lucy fell off her stool. Once again, everyone was watching the two. "Well he's all you can seem to think about Erza!" Gray screamed and stood up from his seat. Erza then stood up and slammed her fists into the table and also stood up. "You won't get over what happened on the train, you keep feeling sorrow for yourself!" "It was an accident, unlike when you attacked him! Your just being selfish." Erza scoffed. "SELFISH! What about when I had to save your sorrow ass when you were trying to do that S-Class mission!" Erza screamed furiously. "I wanted to show everyone I was capable. Don't you get that!" "Well maybe I would get it better If I understood why you dragged Lucy along you self conceited prick!"

Everyone was absolutely speechless at the scene playing out before them. This was not like any old fight between friends. This was a fight with emotions that had been pent up for a long time. The two had never been at each other like this. "Your such a control freak, you always want everyone to obey you at the drop of a hat!" "Well I wouldn't have to scold you for everything if you would actually think for once instead of fucking everything up!" Gray could barely hold back his anger toward the the scarlet haired mage. "Fuck you Erza, your not perfect either, you have destroyed plenty of things when you go out! I'm not the only one!" "But you are the main source off the problem asshole!" Erza relaliated. "Well if your not happy, maybe you should just leave!" Gray said outraged. "GUYS! Stop this! Mira yelled at them. "What the hell is wrong with you two!" Erza then looked around and saw how everyone was still in a stupor. And Lucy was crying on the floor. Erza felt shame for the words she said. "Listen guys." Mira scolded. "Now is not the time to be screwing around, we need to prepare for phantom. There is not time for whatever you two have going on. Do you understand me." Mira snapped like a mother would. Gray then walked out of the basement in a huff. "Prick." Erza said and sat down at the table she was sitting at before, but now it had two large cracks from where she slammed her fists down.

Mira then walked over from where she was at, as well as Cana, Levy, and Lucy who had stopped crying now even though her eyes where still slightly red. They all sat down at the table and sat in silence for a moment while trying to take in the fight Erza and Gray had. "So Erza." Mira said breaking the ice. "Are you going to talk about this?" She walked worried for her friends. "Yeah I think we are all owed an explanation." Levy spoke. "Is this some type of lovers quarrel or something." Cana questioned still a bit tipsy. "No, nothing like that Cana." Erza said while she was still clenching her fists. "Aww, that's too bad." Cana pouted, she was hoping they were secretly in a relationship or something. "I really do..." Erza was cut off. "You don't want to talk, is that really how you want to play this." Mira said intent on prying out Erza's secrets. "Well, you know that this is difficult to talk about. I mean, we just about destroyed our friendship right then." "I know, but we have to work this out." Mira assured. "Hey, if this is going to be super sappy, I'm going to just leave." Cana said and returned to drowning herself in alcohol. The girls watched her leave before putting all attention back to the scarlet woman. "So why do you think you fought in the first place." Levy asked. Lucy was curious too. They were having a nice conversation and then the two of them suddenly lost it. "I suppose, it's just all the stress from the last few days from our mission and galuna. And to top it off we are attacked by phantom. I guess combined a few other things and we just sorta let out all the frustration." Erza thought as she spoke.

Lucy and Levy both nodded. "That sounds pretty reasonable." Lucy said as Levy nodded in agreement. "I do suppose that a lot of stuff has been happening." Lucy said thinking back on the events that transpire the last several days. "Yeah." Levy finished. But then Mira spoke. "Bullshit." She said which surprised both Levy and Lucy and caused Erza to become nervous. She couldn't let Mira know what has really been bothering her. It was too personal. Even for a close friend like Mira. But thats why she didn't believe it. Mira knew Erza too well. "No way that's what caused you guys to fight like that." "Come on Mira let just let it go." Erza said to the silver haired barmaid. "No way, were going to get to the bottom of this." Mira said to the scarlet mage when suddenly the entire building shook. "Is it a tremor?" Macao said as he got up from his seat. "I don't know but I don't like it. Then Alzack came rushing down from the stairs and into the basement. "Everyone come quick, were under attack!" He said and swiftly ran back up the stairs. As soon as he said this everyone ran as fast as they could to the back of the guild and what they saw stunned them.

It was the phantom lords main guild hall, and it was walking on legs like a spider. "Dear god." Macao said as he as he stood dumbfounded. "How can we hope to stop that?" He questioned. "Don't worry Macao." Erza smiled to him. "We'll find a way." This made Macao give her an affirmative nod. "I can't believe they would go to such lengths." Elfman said as the building walked ever closer. "HELLO FAIRY TAIL, ARE YOU READY TO HAND OVER LUCY HEARTFILIA." Spoke out Jose from a speaker lacrima system. "No way, we will fight to the last man to protect our comrades!" Erza yelled out. This rallied everyone to scream out. "Yeah." They all yelled. "We won't let you take her from us." Cana said as she pulled her magic cards out and readied herself for a fight. Lucy started to tear up as she was so grateful and happy to have such loyal friends. "Thank you all." "Hey now Luce, we won't let them lay a hand on you." Lucy recognized the voice. "Gray!" She said with joy. "I saw that monstrosity and came running back. I didn't know phantom had such a thing." He said to the blonde as she nodded her head. Gray then looked at Erza who huffed and turned her headed causing him to gain a tick mark on his forehead. "NOW NOW FAIRY TAIL, LETS NOT BE RASH. IF YOU CAN OVER THE GIRL WE WON'T FIRE JUPITER ON YOU." Jose laughed as a compartment of the fortress opened up and revealed that they indeed possessed a jupiter cannon. "This is worse than I thought." Erza gasped out as she saw many of the guild members had eyes wide with fear.

"Ggrrr." Erza growled, she could not understand what would drive someone to go to such lengths. "HEAR ME FAIRY TAIL, JUPITER WILL FIRE IN TWO MINUTES UNLESS YOU HAND OVER THE GIRL." Jose finally said. This caused many of fairy tail to start panicking. "What, two minutes. How can we hope to stop this." Cana said looking at the giant cannon. "Damn it, Erza said as she pit her thumb. My adamantine armor was smashed by Natsu, and I don't have any other armor that could compare." She said trying to think of what else she could try. "We'll have to figure something out." Said Elfman as he was also trying to think of a plan along side everyone else. Then from the top of the guild hall a voice called down to them. "Need any help." The voice called out to them. Everyone took a look at who it was and what they saw shocked them. "Mystogan." Gray said as he look to the cloaked man. The man jumped from the roof and landed; making sure his mask did not slip off in the process. "I will help you fend off this attack." He said in a dull voice. "Thanks Mystogan, but when did you get here?" Asked Erza as she looked to the cloaked mage. He looked to her trying to hide his eyes and spoke. "I came when I heard news of a battle, I also met your new member." He said and turned to the phantom lord guildhall. "I hope he wasn't too much of an ass." Gray remarked earning a subtle laugh from Lucy.

"FAIRY TAIL, YOUR TIME IS UP. NOW FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!" then with a flash of light the cannon fired almost as soon as he said. Everyone looked at the beam of energy thrusting through the sky like a bat out of hell. **Three Layer Magic Circle : Defense Seal. **Mystogan said with a staff raised and before him appeared three magic circles that were quite large that spun and in the blink of an eye, the jupiter blast hit. It broke through the first circle and then the second, but then was halted at the third before it finally dispersed. "Oh man." Gray said as he fell to his butt. "I thought it would break through for a second. And once he said that. Everyone was dragged from their haze and cheered for their savior. However, he was already walking off. Then he stopped quick and spoke. "Should I believe you can take it from here?" Mystogan asked to the members of fairy tail. "Sure thing." Erza said as another cheer was praised before they all turned attention back to the giant mechanical guildhall. "SO YOU HAVE MANAGED TO STOP THE JUPITER, IMPRESSIVE." He had said the last word slowly with a wicked voice. "BUT HOPE NOT, FOR THE JUPITER WILL FIRE AGAIN IN FIFTEEN MINUTES." Jose said.

"Damn it all." Gray said. "Elfman, come with me I have a plan." Then Elfman swiftly came over to him and listened in. "What do have planned Gray?" The white haired brute asked. "Well, I was thinking that I could make an Ice bridge over to the building and try to take out the cannon before it fires again." Gray spoke earning the nod of Elfman and a few others who heard him. "Yeah, thats sound like a great idea." Macao said with a smile. "I agree, we need to take out the Cannon. Gray. Let us forget our differences for now and fight." Erza looked at him intently. "Fine, but just don't expect me let everything just slide like it never happened, okay." Gray spoke. "I suppose." Erza said and then spoke again. "Now make that bridge, we must hurry and take the cannon out." the scarlet mage said with fire in her eyes. Gray thought a second longer and then swiftly slammed his fist into the palm of his other hand and concentrated his magic. **Ice Make Bridge!** Gray shouted into the lake and then formed a long bridge from the land to the opening where the cannon was stationed. "Okay everyone, stay here and defend the guild, we will be back shortly!" Erza yelled as the rest all shouted encouragement to the three who set off for the attack. But just as soon as she said that Jose reared his ugly head. "NOT SO FAST, I WON'T LET YOU OFF THAT EASY." Jose said as then multiple doors and windows opened up and released hundreds of shades that al swarmed the members defending the guild. "What are those?" Wakaba asked out loud as everyone in the guild started fighting the shades relentlessly. "Don't worry about us, we'll be just fine. Go kick their ass's." Cana said as many nodded in agreement and gave smiles. "Mmm, okay. Come on Elfman." Gray said as he started to run to the opening in the building.

As the three ran into the building they saw the massive cannon in all it's glory. "Wow, it's huge." Elfman said is a manly voice. But then a man from the end of the room came in and looked to the three. "Ha, you three will never destroy the cannon." The black and white haired man said with a laugh. However in his mind he was freaking out. Shit it's Titania. He thought. There's no way way I can take her down he thought. "Guys." Gray said. "Yeah." They turned to him. "I think this guys a fire mage, I'll take him." Gray said as Erza and Elfman nodded. "So, you wish to challenge me Totomaru of the flame." The man dressed in red said. "However, I'm afraid I can't just let your friends pass either." He said as a smug smirk appeared on his face. "Well we'll have to see about that, now won't we." Gray said readying himself for battle with the flame mage. **Ice Make Lance!** Gray announced as he shot out a volley of ice lances at Totomaru. The Flame mage dodged the attack and landed on one foot. "You'll have to do better than that ice boy." The mage said as he chuckled.

Gray scowled at the flame mage for his arrogance. "Guys go. I'll defeat him and take out that cannon." Gray said to his comrades. "Okay, just don't get beat." Elfman said as he and Erza ran on forward past Totomaru and into the hallway. "Well I guess it's fine. They will be dealt with by the others anyway." Totomaru smirked. "Okay flame bastard, you're going down. You hear me!" Gray asserted the flame mage. "We will just have to see." Said Totomaru as he pulled out a katana from its sheath. "Now die!" The flame mage said as he charged forward at Gray with his katana above his head. When he got close enough he swung down at Gray's head. **Ice make Sword!** The ice mage bellowed as a sword of blue ice appeared in his hands and he blocked the strike from Totomaru. "I can make a sword too." Gray said and he swung left at his opponent but the flame mage put his arms up with his blade facing down and blocked the strike. "You'll never defeat me with pathetic blows like that. Gray then jumped back and analyzes his situation. Then with his magic he created a large cannon that he placed on his shoulder.

**Ice Make Cannon!** He shouted as a blast flew from the large barrel and at the white and black haired man. Totomaru readied a spell to block. **Blue Fire!** The fire launched from his fingertips and collided with the ice mage's attack. But as soon as the smoke cleared Gray was already on top of him and ready to strike. **Ice make Lance!** Then the lances impaled the ground all around the floor but Totomaru managed to escape the ice spikes. That was close. Totomaru thought as he jumped over to the right and onto the jupiter cannon. "And now for." **Orange Fire!** He hurled the fire at Gray who was then caught up in the fire. He was surprised that it did not burn. But rather it smell absolutely terrible. "Ah crap, this smell so bad." Gray said as he fell to his knees and covered his nose. "Come on man, this isn't the time for jokes." Totomaru just laughed. "It seemed to work well enough to stop you, didn't it." He smirked. "Oh screw you man." Gray then finally got up as the fire had disappeared. Gray then ran up to the mage and raised his hands above his head. **Ice Make Hammer!** He yelled as he swung past Totomaru. "Ha, too slow." But then gray hit the cannon and it cracked with a loud pang and broke in two. "I wasn't aiming for you." Gray said with a smirk.

Totomaru scowled. "Dammit, I let myself get carried away." Then from the outside of the building, everyone could see a large barrel falling from the structure and into the lake. "Yeah they did it." Cana said as everyone cheered. "Now we just have to keep fighting the shades." She said. "Man, all the woman in our guild are so strong." Wakaba said to Macao. "Yeah, can't believe it myself." He said with a smile. But then he was hit by the shade and dropped to his knees. "Oh man, I feel like I've been drained off my energy." He said. Then Cana yelled to everyone, having seen it. "Everyone, don't let them touch you, they drain your energy." "Right." They said as they nodded and continued fighting.

Back in the cannon room. "You will now die for that." Totomaru said as now he was mad. Then with the wave of his hands he summoned colorful fire and launched it. **Rainbow Fire! **He yelled as it flew to Gray who dodged. BUt then the fire took a right turn and flew around and hit Gray. Damn he thought. It moved around by itself. Or he made it move it or something. Gray thought as he fell to the ground. He got up and dusted hi s pants off. "So you can control your fire, big whoop. You'll still be defeated." Gray smirked at the fire mage. Totomaru frowned. **Rainbow Fire!** He said and launched the fire that then spun in a circle in the air. "This again. I won't fall for it twice." Gray ran to the side and then jumped in the air and charged Totomaru. The rainbow fire they vaulted at him. **Ice Make Shield!** He said as a shield grew from his palms and blocked the fire as he continued to charge. "NOW!" **Ice Make Fist!** Then his fist was covered in ice and he slammed his fist into the fire mage's face and sent him flying into the wall behind them. "Take that asshole." Gray said as Totomaru crashed and then fell from the wall. But he got back up and prepared for his final assault. "I won't be beaten so easily!" He yelled in fury at the raven haired mage. Then totomaru unsheathed his sword once more and jumped in to the air. He then face his sword down. Gray seeing what would happen jumped back as the sword was plunged down and almost stabbed the ice mage in the head.

Then the fire mage took a defensive stance before he readied to finish this battle. "Is that all you flame boy." Gray said mocking him further. "Oh you will certainly pay for this mockery." He said almost too formally and he once again charged Gray. **Ice Make Cannon!** He then launched once again his cannon that shot the fire mage. But then Totomaru swiftly dodged the attack and swung his katana to the right and at Gray. And once again Gray made a sword of ice and blocked. Then he kicked Totomaru the the gut and forced him to fall to is back. "Take this." Gray screamed as he summoned his magic. **Ice Make Hammer!** He then swung down. "NO!" Totomaru screamed as he awaited his impending defeat. Then with a final slam, the hammer crushed the fire mage with a crunch and broke most of his bones. "Sorry, but I have to move on." Gray said as he looked at it crushed foe lying in defeat. Then he turned to the hallway that Elfman and Erza went down earlier. He then ran over to the hallway in an attempt to catch up.

* * *

"Ahhh." Natsu sighed as he sat in a tree on a cliff. The tree overlooked all of Magnolia town. He saw a giant moving building and swore he was delusional, but then saw that it was in fact real. He also saw Erza, Gray and some large dude run in over a bridge of some sort. He thought it interesting to say the least. Especially when he saw that cloaked man from earlier block that jupiter blast. "Man the world is a crazy place." Natsu said to himself. There are so many things that happen that no one can explain. But then Natsu saw some thing happen when something fell out of the structure that really caught his attention. There was a magic circle being drawn. And by the looks of it, it was Abyss Break. Well this can't be Natsu though as the magic was drawn out of thin air. THis must be the doing of that wizard saint. What was him name? Umm? Joe? John? OH yeah, Jose. Well maybe its time I go and Enter the fray. Natsu thought as he jumped out of his tree and started walking to the fairy tail guildhall. As he walked the streets, he noticed it was particularly barren, probably due to the fighting. BUt at least the town was left out of the damage for the most part except for the guild. He then meandered down the street leading to the guildhall and then entered through the large doors. "Hello, anyone in here." He called out as he stood in the middle of the buildings first floor.

"What are you doing here, you should be outside fighting those shade things." Mira said as she walked over to the dragon slayer. He looked at her with a nonchalant expression and then sighed. She then spoke. "Where have you been mister?" She said and pointed in his face. He leaned back being a little intimidated by her. "I was visiting Makarov." He said and this cause Mira to turn back to her usual self. "Well then get outside and help, I heard your strong. So maybe you can help take out phantoms main members. "Well I suppose I can." He then made a right turn of the heel of his foot and walked to the back door of the building. As he walked out he saw hundreds of shades covering the skies overhead. "Man, this is a pain." He said. But then this caused many to turn and notice him there. "Where the hell have you been new guy." Cana said as she threw some cards that summoned an explosion a destroyed a shade. "Well I just Got here." "Well don't just stand there, help us!" She finally yelled. "OKay, fine." He then took a step forward and took a deep breath and readied his attack.

**Fire Dragons Roar!** Then a huge spiral of flame torrented into the sky and destroyed almost all the shades. Every was awestruck at the sight. WHat would have taken them hours to defeat all the shades took him one attack to do. "Wow, what amazing power." Wakaba said as Macao nodded in agreement. "I'm glad he's on our side." Someone said. You guys have no idea. Natsu thought to himself. "So, are the strong ones inside." He asked Cana as she then replied. "Yes, Erza, Gray and Elfman went inside already. To fight the element four." She confirmed. "Well I'll be off then." He said as he ran across the ice bridge that was slowly melting away. "All right, here comes the party." Natsu said as he laughed to himself.

* * *

Erza and Elfman had came across a split in the hallway and Erza went right while Elfman headed down the left corridor. This hallway seem to never end Erza thought to herself. I wonder if there is anything down this way. She then heard a large rumbling and felt it as well. That must have been Gray. Hope he is alright. Damn. Even though she and Gray had a big fight, she could never not be worried for him. She knew it was her fault that aGray felt the way he did. SHe wanted to settle the dispute they had and try to remain close friends as they have always been. She knew she had messed up, but what could she have done differently to change everything. She could have never anticipated her meeting with that pink hair bastard. Damn you Natsu. SHe thought before she entered a large room with pillars and a long red carpet. It looked as if it was a throne room. However it was missing a throne, or a king for that matter. But then she felt a magical presence creep behind her as she stood there.

"You must be Aria. I've expected to have found you." She said as she quickly turned around a with a slash of her blade cut through the air but to no avail. The man was already somewhere else. Teleportation! She thought. "You seem to be the infamous Titania. How Sorrowful to know that such a great mage will fall today. The airspace mage said and started crying profusely. "NO! Today it is you who will suffer the fate of defeat." Erza said and requip into her heavens wheel armor. **Requip : Heavens Wheel!** The in a bright flash she appeared in her angelic armor. Then in a flash she rushed Aria and slashed her blade but with his ability of perception he dodged the attack flawlessly. He knew where I would attack. This is not good. She then summoned a few dozen swords and sent then in a volley. The swords flew at the airspace user but with his teleportation flashed in and out of different spots in the room and avoided all attacks. "It is fruitless for you to resist you fate." Aria said as he started bauling again. "You will never win, so give up now." He said. "Never!" She said with much animosity in her voice. "My friends count on me to stop this nonsense, so you will never understand the way I feel." She then flew over and summoned more swords and flew faster than the eye could see. **Blumenblatt!** She growled as she struck at Aria only for him to teleport behind her. **Zetsu!** He cried and sent a massive volley of razor sharp air currents at the scarlet knight.

"Ggrrr." Erza growled as she was hit in the back and the airspace cut the through her armor ad she was now bleeding from the large cut. She landed on one knee and breathed heavily. She then got up and threw her sword at the man with green robes and it spun and flew past him when he moved to the side. "You see now, I can't be defeated by the likes of you." He said. "How sorrowful." He then cried once more at the plight of Erza scarlet as the tears flowed down his tanned face. Then with a return of adrenaline, Erza launched herself from her spot and summoned her swords. **Circle Swords!** She cast the blades but was not done. And she went in for an up close attack. Aria quickly teleported from the circle swords and could feel Erza behind him. He turned around and when he did, he knew what would happen. But could not dodge in time. Erza then kicked him in the chest. "Gahh." Aria groaned, but then he slammed her down. Erza groaned but before she could do anything he cast his spell. **Metsu!** The the force of the attack hit like a train and created a crater under her. "Aahhh!" Erza screamed out as the pain was very intense. She felt like her magic was draining away. But With all her might she stood up and punched him in the gut and he flew back a few meters and landed on his feet. Erza was then huffing out with heavy breath. He was a strong opponent.

"How could you have resisted my Metsu!" He yelled out to the scarlet mage. "My will is strong, and I refuse to let you defeat me. For my friends I must fight." Erza breathed out as Aria started wailing. "Such a sorrowful tale, so sad that it will never come true." He cried. Erza's tempered growl sounded out and she prepared herself. **Requip : Morning Star!** THen she emerged with two swords weighted at the tip and without handle guards. She then flashed an extremely bright light to try and make sure Aria could not see even with his blindfold. And with a slash of her dual swords she cut Aria across the chest who was unable to dodge the speedy attack. But before Erza could get back Aria launched his attack point blank. **Retsu!** He yelled and gathered his airspace into a condensed ball of magic and smashed it into Erza's chest with such force that She was blow threw the wall. The aftershock of the attack was so powerful that every wall in the direction Erza flew was completely knock down and left a Massive hole in the guildhall. "Gahhh." Erza clutched her chest in pain and cries out. How could he be this strong. She questioned. "Damn it." She said before she grabbed a ledge. She was threatening to fall from the ledge and into the water below.

"Everyone look! It's Erza hanging from the ledge." Someone said as everyone else turned to look in surprise that even Erza was having a hard time with phantom lord. "Everyone stay calm, she'll pull through." Cana said. "Yeah, Erza won't ever be beaten." Someone cheered out as everyone else followed suit. Erza pulled herself up from the ledge and dusted herself off. "You will have to do better than that, Aria." Aria grimaced at this. "So you are still alive, how sad." He said as he put his hands to his face. And then in a sudden motion, he pulled of his blindfold and revealed his eyes to be red in a four leaf clover pattern. "You will not survive. Titania." He said as he let his immense magic flow out from his body. Erza just stood there and watched. She was shocked that he had this much magic power. It reminded her of someone. The wind was absolutely crazy, it was whipping around and circling Aria as he let his magic out. Erza stood at the read to face her deadly foe. Not willing to submit to the airspace mage. "Bring it on, You will never beat someone who has the strength of her friends behind her."

* * *

**"**Man, that magic is quite impressive." Natsu thought as he walked down the narrow couloir. He had been wandering this god forsaken place for ten minutes and has not come across a single person yet. "And here I thought this place was bustling with strong mages. Natsu thought as he walked onto a roof that had many arched window. "Sigh." Natsu sighed at how bored he was, how could there be no one for him to fight. "Did you just say sigh?" The woman said as she looked at Natsu quizzically. Natsu just looked at her interesting get up. "Why hello lovely lady. And who might you be." Natsu said in the nicest way possible as to try and get information. The woman had long curly white hair and wore a short white kimono that only went down to the half of her thigh. She then wore black leggings and white heels. She wore a large white fur coat. "Wow such a gentleman." The woman said sarcastically. "Well since you asked so nicely, I am known as Aeolus." She said with an innocent smile. "So your a member of the phantom lord guild. If you are then I'm impressed." He said with his face still stoic. "No, not quite. And thank you." She smirked seductively at him and walked closer to him unstill she was standing right in front of him and was caressing his chest with her hand. "I guess it's no harm to tell you. Your so handsome." She said with a wicked smile. Natsu was dumbfounded. He was at her mercy at the moment. She was incredibly hot, and was so pulling off the naughty act. "I was hired by phantom's guild master Jose to help with fairy tail. But I don't really feel like helping him." She said as she started caressing Natsu lower on his chest. He was blushing madly at this point. "That's so cute, you're so innocent." She smirked. "But, maybe I can let you off the hook." She said and then press up against the dragon slayer. And then she stood on her toes and whispered in his ear.

"Maybe, we can have some fun, just you and me." She emphasized the word 'fun' very clearly. But then when she went back to look at him, she saw that he had passed out. "Oh that's so adorable." She giggled to herself. "Looks like all his blood went down there." She said looking down and laughing to herself. "Guess he won't be able to participate, that's a pity." Then she set him down and continued to wait."I was so looking forward to some fun."

* * *

Gray continued down the hallway until he came to a door that when he opened led him it the roof that was made of glass for some reason. It was also raining and he thought that that was particularly odd seeing as it was sunny out just fifty meters over. "Drip drip drop, I am Juvia the rain woman." A woman in primarily blue with blue hair said as she was facing the right or the left in Gray's view. "So it's Juvia huh, pretty name." Gray said looking at the melancholic woman. But as soon as he said this her attitude took a drastic turn. "You really think so?" She said with puppy dog eyes and her hands put together. Gray sweatdropped and looked at her for a moment. "Uhh, yeesss." He said not comfortable with the way she was looking at him. "Well hey, I have to go. I have to go and defeat some guys. You seem nice enough, do you happen to know were they are." He said with a smile, trying to persuade the woman. "Oh, so you are with fairy tail." How could life be so cruel she thought. "Then I cannot let you go, I must defeat you." Then Gray sighed. "Okay lady, you asked for it."

**Ice Make Cage!** Gray tried to capture her as to try and not harm her. But then when she was inside the cage she simply walked through the bars and reformed on the other side. "What the hell!" Gray said shocked at what just happened. "I am made of water, so around solid objects and attacks can go right through me." She said dully. "Well thanks for telling me I guess." Gray spoke surprised she just told him her secret. **Ice Make Lan...** He was cut off when she launched an attack. **Water Lock!** She said and Gray was surrounded in a water prison. Damn it. He thought. I can't breath, I have to find a way out of here. But then the ice mage came up with a plan that was sure to break him free. And so on the inside of the ball he used his magic and froze the entire ball which fell to the ground. The glass then cracked, but not before Gray broke out of the ball and was once again free. Then Gray gathered his magic and released. **Ice make Lance!** The lances went straight through her. He was not sure how to defeat her. But then he noticed once more the state of the weather, it was extremely dull in this spot. It really put him in an awkward mood at the moment. "Why is it so gloomy here. All this rain really bums my mood." Gray said and this caused Juvia to snap. "What." She mumbled to herself. He thinks I'm gloomy. AHH. He's just like the rest of them. Gray was confused. It looked like she was having a conversation with herself. He was not going to just attack but, it was still confusing. One minute they are having a battle and now she off in her own world. She is definitely an odd one. Gray thought. "I'll show you!" She yelled at Gray who was now even more perplexed. "What,what did I do." He asked the now enraged Juvia.

**Water Slicer!** She screamed out as the water hit gray. "Oww, it's boiling." Gray gasped as he felt the extreme heat of the water. It must have to do with her emotions, because she looks pissed right now. I have to avoid this water or I'm going to be boiled alive. Then Gray ran forward at Juvia and summoned in his hands a hammer. **Ice Make Hammer!** He then tried to hit the water mage, but when she let loose a torrent of steaming water his hammer melted almost as fast as he could blink. WHAT! He thought. BUt then once again the woman trapped him. **Water Lock!** But this time it was boiling hot and was searing his skin. Gray tried to freeze the water ball again but this time it was too hot for him too. The best he could do was to keep the water around him cool enough to not burn his skin. He was not left with many options and he would run out of breath soon. But what could he do. However in the heat of the moment he noticed something. When she was controlling the rain was hitting her and bouncing off while before it was just being absorbed. Interesting. And so with all his might, he created a bow from his magic and notched the arrow. **Ice Make Bow!** He said as he fired the arrow as the bow melted away in the water and then it hit the rain woman in the leg and she immediate lost focus of the water lock. When this happened the spell broke and Gray dropped to the ground. He gasped for air and coughed in the process and stood up with his skin still stinging with pain.

He watched as Juvia was on the ground clutching her wound. Gray walked over and kneeled before her. Juvia's heart was aflutter when she saw this and almost forgot about her pain entirely. And when Gray touched his hand to her shoulder she could barely hold herself back. "I'm very sorry. Please forgive me." "Oh Yes of cour..." But she was then stopped and her face turned to one of shock. Until she was completely covered. Gray Stood up and looked at the the woman before him completely frozen like an ice sculpture. "I figured you would freeze if you were water." Gray said Solemnly as he ran to the door and back down the way he came to try and find Erza or Elfman.

* * *

Erza rushed toward the unblindfolded Aria in her morning star armor. Aria gathered his magic as well and when he did he released a massive magic attack. "Now die!" Aria screamed. **Zero!** The wave of magic hit Erza. But she did not falter. She rushed forward and released her own attack. **Photon Slicer!** The attack hit Aria head on and blew him into the wall behind. But as soon as he did he teleported and came up behind Erza. She turned midair and sliced upward with her dual blades. But Aria attacked faster. **Retsu!** And Erza was Slammed into the ground with even more force than the last time. "Ahhahaha." Erza laughed at the wind mage as she got to her feet again, who then scowled at this. Even downed she has the arrogance to laugh! Aria thought. "Is that all. Pathetic." Erza then jabbed forward and Aria jumped back and launched another wave. **Zero!** This time, the wave had Erza flying. "Die you arrogant brat!" Aria yelled finished with having this fight. Much to the surprise of the airpace user, Erza landed on the wall and rebounded off it and before he knew it he was flying from a mighty punch to the face. Then a kick the ribs. And crashed into the wall and then fell to his knees on the floor. I can't dodge her moves fast enough. Aria thought as he got back to his feet.

"Enough of this!" **Zetsu!** The barrage of razor sharp air currents flew but Erza ducked down and found herself in a crap walk position. She jumped up flashed her armor and blinded Aria more a second before she ran and kicked him in the face then gave him a strong right straight to the gut. And he fell to the floor. When he got up he tried to teleport but Erza grabbed him arm and threw him into a wall. "Gahh." He cried. "How sorrowful of me, to loose. To someone such as you." Aria then started wailing again and was ready for what ever she was planning. Erza breathed hard, he was far stronger than she had ever anticipated. But she would finish this fight And move forward. Erza then ran for forward. "Now you will understand how I get my strength. From the hope and dreams of my friends." Erza said as she raised her swords. **Photon Slicer!** The scarlet knight pronounced as the attack ravaged the airspace mage and the wall he was stuck in. And now with the mage Aria downed she could go and help her friends. She requiped into her regular hearts cruz armor. But then she the footsteps of many people coming in different directions. At first she readied herself, however saw that it was Elfman along with Mira for some reason. "Mira what are you doing here?" Erza said confused. "Oh that, I was just trying to help." She said with a bright smile. "Okay, but who did you fight Elfman?" Erza questioned the white haired man. "I fought that earth creep. He had taken mira." Elfman said. "So you must have fought Sol of the earth." Erza said and thought about it a moment longer before she spoke. "Good job on taking down one of the element four, you did well." Erza smiled before clutching her abdomen. She groaned and almost fell to her knees before Mira caught her. "Looks like you fought someone as well." Mira smirked at the scarlet knight.

"It was Aria, he's stronger than he looks. But these injuries were from a previous fight, they were just deepened from today's fight." Erza said as Mira set her Next to a wall. Then the three saw Gray running to them from on of the hallways connected to the room. "Hey." He said and looked at Erza. She looked at him and smiled. "Glad to see you didn't get your ass handed to you by Totomaru." Erza said with a smirk. "Oh yeah, well while you guys were fighting I took down two of the element four." Gray said with and equally smug smirk on his face. "Now that's a real man!" Elfman said and roughly patted Grays back. "So that means you also took down the rain woman." Mira stated. "Her name was Juvia i believe, she was kind of odd." Gray sweatdropped at the thought. The rest of them laughed at this. "Oh guys, I'm pretty sure someone else came onto the ship but then the magic presence disappeared." Gray said to them wondering who it was. "I think I felt it as well. But like you said it is gone now." Erza said with her hand on her chin. BUt before anyone could say anything else, they all heard clapping from the hallway at the top of the stairs. Then they the figure of a man.

"Very well done, hahaha." Jose then showed himself and everyone stood ready to fight. Erza got up and looked at the phantom lord master with an intense glare. "It seems you have really made a mess of my guild."

* * *

Natsu woke up and grabbed his head. "Damn that woman." Natsu said remembering what had happened to him. It caused him to get a slight blush before he stood up to notice she was nowhere to be seen. He then walked over to the nearest door and blasted open it with his bare fist. Damn, can't believe I let myself be so mesmerized by that woman. Jeez, I'm a total pushover when it comes to beautiful women. Natsu thought even though it was not entirely true. He ran down a corridor for at least another five minutes before he came to a room with a large generator mechanism of some sort. He sensed another person in the room that was like him. Huh. Must be that iron dragon slayer guy. Natsu thought. "Hey, you can come out. I know you're there." Natsu said and as he anticipated the Man came out from where he was hiding and stood about four meters from Natsu. "So you must be the one who put that beams in the guild." Natsu spoke in a placid tone. "I guess you're right, Gihihihi." The iron dragon slayer said. "Are you one of those element four types?" Natsu asked to the noe irritated Gajeel. "I'm more of a solo operation you could say." He said with his smirk returned. "Anyway, I'm going to need some information. Because I want to pay a visit to Jose." Natsu conveyed to the iron dragon slayer. "You'll be disappointed then to know I can't tell you what you want to know."

"Then I'll just have to beat it out of you." Natsu said which caused Gajeel to snarl. "You've done it now." Gajeel said as he prepared to fight. Then the black haired slayer jolted forward and turned his arm to a club. **Iron Dragons Club!** He aimed for Natsu's head who was just standing there. "Looks like it's the end of the road for you pal." Gajeel grinned and slammed his club down. However to Gajeel dismay, Natsu caught the club and crushed it under his strength. His eyes were glowing red and his hair was floating. He was surrounded by an eerie red and black glow. Gajeel eyes widened at this. What the hell, he's like a. Demon. "Look, I'm not your pal, so don't you go saying things like that without thinking. Or your gonna get burned." Then with his other fist covered in red flames. **Fire Dragons Destruction Fist!** The blow hit Gajeel harder than a jupiter cannon and he was slammed into the wall. When he hit the wall he spit up blood. "Gahhh." His eyes went white and he fell to his hands and knees. He breathed out hard and was heaving. Who was this, he had never heard of a man like this being in fairy tail. He looked up to see that Natsu was back to normal and looking at him with a bored expression. "Who are you?" Gajeel asked the pinkete. "I don't think that you are in a position to ask questions. But I'll indulge you." Natsu said with a smirk. "I am Natsu, I recently joined fairy tail." He told the baffled iron dragon slayer. "So you just join them recently, why?" Gajeel was curious why someone like him was would join them. It was nothing against fairy tail. But people this strong don't just join out of the blue without motive. "I think it's time I ask the questions here."

"No way in hell." Gajeel said as he stood up and wiped his mouth that had blood on it. "I won't let you slander my honor." Then Gajeel once again rushed the fire dragon slayer. **Iron Dragon Scales!** Gajeel yelled out and charged. He would try to kick this bastard. "Fighting again. Ugg, such a pain." Natsu was sure this guy wanted to die. Most did not get up from a blow like that and decide to fight more. **Iron Dragon Sword!** The blade of iron swiped to the left. But Natsu simply stepped back and summoned a magic circle. **Bind!** He said and his chains wrapped around the startled slayer. He tried to break free only to find that the chains got tighter. "Damn you." Gajeel then just sat down in criss crossed fashion. "So what do you want?" Gajeel said finally submitting to the pink haired slayer. "Well just out of curiosity." Natsu wickedly smirked and his eyes once again turned red and he grew scales and fangs like before. Gajeel felt fear in his chest, he would never admit. But he wanted nothing more than to get out of this room. "Dragon force. Tchh." Gajeel snided as he saw the minor transformation. "Have you ever heard of, Salamander." Natsu grinned at the reaction he saw. Gajeel's eyes widened in pure shock and terror. This was the 'salamander' of Grimoire Heart. It explained why he was so powerful. But how was it that he was a part of fairy tail. So many questions swirled in Gajeel's head.

"Now of course you can't tell anyone or I'll have to kill you. But I feel like you're pretty smart. So, where is Jose?" Natsu said as he returned to his normal nonchalant self. "He should be on the top floor, but he could have gone to where your 'friends' are." Natsu noticed how he said friends. "Ha, well okay. You were not too much help. Your free to go." Natsu then released Gajeel. And he headed to the hallway over to the side of them before he stopped. "Oh, I would suggest you get out of here. A favor between us dragon slayers if you will." Natsu then left a disturbed Gajeel still just standing there in a sort of daze before he came to his senses and left as well.

* * *

Natsu walked through the barren halls. Trying to find Jose. It was quite boring at the moment he had to say. But then he heard a familiar scream and started walking in that direction. The sounds of battle were getting louder until he came into a room that had four people he recognised. Erza was wrapped up in some sort of purple magic. Gray was struggling to get up along with Mira. And the white haired guy was unconscious. "Where the hell were you, you said you would help!" Gray said as he finally got to his feet. He glared daggers at the pinkete. "Hey, I took out that iron dragon slayer. So I did in fact help." Natsu said as he put his hands up. "Whatever." Gray sad irritatedly "But no worries, I help you guys." He said and walk over to Erza who had been freed from the spell. He looked at her and spoke. "You should probably leave this to me. You look you had some fun." He smirked and turned to Jose who had been watching him closely until his eyes widened. "Wait, I know you." Erza, Gray and Mira looked up in surprise and were curious what Jose knew about Natsu. "You are that man I saw whe..." "Now let not bring that up at the moment." Natsu said in an almost demonic voice. "All you need to worry about is your ass."

Then Jose put up his magic while Natsu's eyes glowed an eerie red. "Get ready. You don't want to miss the party."

* * *

**To be continued...**

**This is my longest chapter to date. But I had a lot of fun writing this. So Aria was never strong enough in the manga/anime and I made him a lot stronger than he was presented. Because mystogan showed up which was cool. It shows that he was stronger since Erza never blocked jupiter. Also Mystogan. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Oh, Yes. There was another character added to the roster for my brewing original arc. And Natsu can use dragon force since Hades wanted him to be as effective a dragon slayer. Also to confirm suspicion, Natsu is also a skilled assassin. **

**Remember to leave comments and critiques on what you thought of the chapter and wait for the next chapter which will be out in a few days. So have a good day.**


	7. The Great Gig in The Sky

**I do not own Fairy Tail, that belongs solely to Hiro Mashima**

**Welcome back to chapter seven, oh boy it's been a long summer, hasn't it? Anyway, Feel free to leave comments. I love getting feedback. No matter if it is harsh or not. Also, this chapter should be quite long since I have not updated in a while. (By the way. If you did not understand my description of Natsu, think about it this way. He looks like he would be in the army, but has green instead of camo. And instead of a white undershirt. Its a tight black sleeveless shirt. Then, of course, black combat boots.)**

**Enjoy the story!**

* * *

Chapter 7: The Great Gig in the Sky

July 10, X784, Magnolia

"Get ready, you don't want to miss the party!" Natsu exclaimed as he laughed out to Jose who put on a scowl at the comment but then went back to being level headed. Jose prepped his magic in his fists. He raised his arms up and shrugged his shoulders along with his signature wicked grin. "Cocky brat. You have no chance in hell of taking me on. I'm a wizard saint!" Jose roared out to the fire dragon slayer. "Natsu. I don't think you can tackle Jose even if you are pretty strong." Gray called out. He was genuinely concerned for Natsu at the moment even if he was a complete asshole. "Don't worry sugar tits, everything will be just fine." Natsu said with a smirk without even looking at the ice mage. Gray swiftly leaped up as if he had not a scratch on him. His face blaring red and steam practically blowing out his ears while his fists were shaking. "Ha." Mira laughed out but quickly covered her mouth. "Hey!" Gray turned to Mira and gave her a glare.

Natsu then suddenly appeared right behind Jose, much to his surprise. "How in the hell!" Jose yelled as he swiftly turned around. Natsu through a powerful right thrust. It was blocked by Jose's bracing arm. But the blow made him slide back on his feet. Before the saint could catch up, Natsu was already after him. He threw a left jab, then a right. The two were locked in a hand to hand combat brawl. With Natsu continuously advancing and Jose playing on defense. "Enough!" Jose screamed as he gathered magic in his right hand. "You have the skill, but you fall to me all the same." Jose grinned. Natsu was not happy. Here we go again with the fucking monologuing. Can I for once fight someone who can just keep their mouth shut? Natsu thought. But then Jose released his spell. **Dark Pulse!** The spell launched at the pink-haired slayer with much ferocity. But Natsu then held his right arm with his left. He quickly produced a small flame that spun with much gusto. And it shot off his hand and with a small white flash Jose's spell and his collided and canceled out. "Wow!" Mira said in awe as she witnessed what happened. "He was able to counter the spell so easily," Gray said with a growl. He was annoyed at how behind in skill he was by this pink-haired prick.

"Tchh." Jose gave a small worried look, but then back to his normal grin. "Impressive, that was one of my most powerful attacks. But that just means I'll just have to stop going easy." He gathered in his hands purple and black swaths of magic as the walls started to shake. The magic pressure made the other get knocked to their knees as the air felt thick and heavy with malice and poise. "YOU'LL DO WELL TO REMEMBER YOUR PLACE FAIRY SCUM!" Jose said to an unfazed Natsu who merely had his arms crossed. The air was almost intoxicating though. Damn, this guy is serious. I'm not sure I have enough energy at the moment to wear this guy down. Natsu thought. I'm pretty tired at the moment. "Give me all you got," Natsu said getting into a defensive stance. This attack felt powerful. But he could handle it. He's dealt with worse. **Dead Wave!** The wave of death drained everything in its path of color. Turning the ground and walls black and white. "Come on work with me here," Natsu said to himself as he did some strange movements. "What the hell is he doing!" Erza said as she watched him fidget around with some sort of weird movements. Natsu put his right foot forward. He put his index and middle fingers together and closed the other ones. He did this with both hands. He put his left arm to his left, facing up and the same with his right arm. And moving his right arm back moving across his chest and to the right facing Jose's spell. Natsu shot out a black flame that ate Jose's spell and the spell vanished.

And what seemed like an eternity took place in only a few seconds. "WHAT!" Jose screamed out as his spell was stopped by some pesky flame. "Why you little..." "That's enough Jose! Its time for you to face your punishment!" Said the elder in a stoic voice as he cut off Jose. "Master! Your okay!" Erza yelled out as she saw the small man standing atop the rubble. "Makarov," Jose said with a scowl. Jose completely forgot about Natsu and started to walk down the stairs. "Jose, surrender now or face my wrath," Makarov said as he gathered golden magic between his hands. "You'll never take me down with your magic Makarov!" Jose cackled. "I'll give you to the count of three," Makarov said. Natsu sat down on the steps of the staircase mesmerized by the glowing golden light. "Wow." Natsu sighed like a high school girl as he admired the spell being conjured. Erza mouth was agape, but then she managed to utter two words. "Fairy law." By then Makarov was done with his countdown. "Three." He said as he closed his hands. "PHANTOM LORD IS FOREVER!" These foreboding words were the last thing said by Jose before everything flashed into white.

As the spell simmered down Erza saw that Jose was in a pitiful state, to say the least, he was on the ground holding his knees and shivering uncontrollably. "Master!" The mages except Natsu said as they all bumrushed Makarov for a hearty hug. "How did you recover so fast?" Mira said with worry. "I didn't." The elder said with a hearty chuckled that made the mages smile. But then something occurred to Erza. "Hey, Nats... Natsu?" She said as she looked to the pinkete who looked to be spaced out. "What's wrong, Are you okay?" She was worried and started to limp towards the slayer. "Natsu?!" She said as he finally snapped out of it and looked at the brown-eyed girl. "Oh, my bad. "He said as he stood swiftly to his feet and looked into her brown orbs. He was doing it again. Erza thought as she stood there uncomfortably.

"Hey Natsu, why don't you come here and join us," Mira said as the others nodded. "Yeah, I'm coming," Natsu said as he and Erza walked down the steps. When they got to the bottom Natsu looked at Makarov and Makarov looked to him. Natsu felt like a child, he felt guilt in his chest and he felt heavy when he looked into the heartwarming eyes of the master. Makarov looked in his eyes, searching. He knows, he fucking knows! Natsu was losing it mentally. The way he's looking at me is all I need to know. He knows. I failed. But then suddenly Natsu felt the elder hugging him and he was shocked. Makarov looked to Natsu and his eyes watered and he gave the pinkete a smile. " Thank you for protecting my children, in our time of great desperation. Thank you." Makarov said and then he stepped back and wiped his eyes. "Awwhawhaaww." Elfman cried. "Now that's a real man." Natsu smiled, he was genuinely taken aback and touched by the gesture. He had never had anyone say that he had done well before. It was always Natsu the monster. Natsu the slayer. This was a nice change.

Everyone smiled as they found their guildhall was somehow still intact. The members of Fairy tail all gathered around master and the heroes of the day. "What was that giant light?" Cana asked the master. "Yeah I want to know too," Macao said. "Yeah, Yeah." Said the others who were also curious. "That was fairy law," Natsu said responding to the questions. But then Erza turned to him with a inquisitive look plastered to her face. "How could you possibly know that?" Erza said in an accusing manner. "I read up on it in the library, and when I saw it performed it matched the description," Natsu said with crossed arms. "I call bullshit," Gray said. No way in hell he just read it. He was hiding something. He's always hiding something. Damnit. Gray thought. "Now, now my children. let's be grown-ups about this." Makarov said.

"But yes, it was indeed fairy law that I used to defeat Jose. But let's not forget those who fought with valor. Let's celebrate!" Makarov said as they all went to the basement to drink and goof off. Natsu did not follow out and sat on the ledge that dropped down to the lake below. Natsu could feel that two people stood behind him when the rest went inside. "Natsu, I want to thank you. I really don't know what would have happened if you had not shown up." Erza said to the pinkete. Then Gray spoke up. "Yeah, and you know. We may have not gotten off to the best start. But I can believe in second chances." Gray said as he and Erza both walked and sat on either side of Natsu. "Jesus, you should have warned me before ganging up on me like this." Natsu sneered with a smirk on his face. Erza and Gray both laughed at this.

"So Natsu," Gray said. "Here we go," Natsu said sarcastically which made Gray puff up with anger. "What the hell, we just thanked you," Gray said. "OH shut the hell up and tell me what you want." Natsu jokingly said. Gray puffed out his chest and then exhaled. "What was that thing you did to Jose's magic?" Gray asked. Erza nodded. "That's what I want to know as well," Erza said to the pink-haired slayer. "Ah jeez, where to start," Natsu said as he thought a moment. He looked out to the setting sun and spoke. "It's a type of flame I can make, but I don't know how I can do it," Natsu said with a solemn look. "So you improvised! You really need to do better to try and not get yourself killed." Erza commanded which caused Gray to stiffen up. "Hey relax Gray, don't get your panties in a twist." gray growled. "I'm going to clock you ash for brains!" Gray yelled out. "Wow, you found a good comeback finally," Natsu said as he stood up with Gray. Erza followed suit. "Hey, Natsu? You want to join my team?" Erza said as Gray paled.

"What the fuck are you thinking," Gray said in a murmur. "Sure, but on one condition," Natsu said as he continued to stare out to the horizon. "What's that?" Erza asked awaiting Natsu's answer. "Just make sure you keep your temper under wraps," Natsu said as Gray paled once more. Natsu first smirked, and then started laughing

Erza turned red in the face and sucker-punched Natsu in the arm. "If you're going to be an ass then I might just reconsider my offer," Erza said as she crossed her arms and stuck her nose up sarcastically. Natsu gave a light chuckle as he patted her left shoulder. "Hey, I was kidding you know." He said solemnly as he rubbed his arm where he was punched. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say." Erza said as she put her arm on Natsu's shoulder. The three looked out at the now almost gone sun. The sky filled with a deep red and orange tint. However undenounced to the three, there was a figure watching the interaction. "That's too bad, he was so cute." The woman Aeolus said as she disappeared into the night.

* * *

Half an hour later inside the guild hall.

"Hey were are Erza and Gray?" Asked Lucy as she looked through the rowdy bunch of mages. "I don't think they ever came inside." Mira said "They must be sorting things out." Lucy groaned as she went up the stairs to go find them. She walked through the decrepit guild hall that managed to survive the battle and found herself looking at a familiar head of hair. "Natsu? Where are Gray and Erza?" The blonde spoke out as the seated mage turned to look at her. The pinkete looked to see it was Lucy. He had almost forgotten about her. It had been a long day. "They left to talk out there argument. Or at least that's what they said they were doing." Natsu said in an almost accusing tone. "What do you mean by that? And where did they go?" Lucy said as she was starting to be a little worried. "Quit your worrying and sit." Natsu said as he patted the ground next to him. This girl annoyed him. She was too, how do you put it. Emotional, that's the word. Lucy sat next to the mage a little tensely as she still felt a little uneasy being with him. "They said that they were going to the park with the big tree. But if you ask me, I think they are totally screwing." Natsu said in the darkness of the night. The only lights being the stars and a crescent moon. When he said that Lucy's cheeks turned red like a fresh tomato.

"Oh, well. Ok then." Lucy said putting her hand to her cheeks. "So I have an apology blondie." Natsu said in a dull voice. It had a tinge of sadness to it, but it was barely noticeable. "But you already apo..." "Shhhh." Natsu said as he put a finger to Lucy's mouth as he looked at the stars. "I apologized to Erza and Gray. And I never properly gave you one." Natsu breathed in, he felt like he was about to go on a tangent. So he took in a deep breath. "What happened was I'm sure quite traumatic for you. And what you saw is how I deal with dark wizards. But I made a wrong judgement call to attack Erza. And I want you to know that I am deeply sorry for it." Natsu said through bated breath. He was not sure himself if what he told was the full truth.

All he knew was that he just had to keep lying his way through. To worm his way into the hearts of these mages. But he was surprised by Lucy suddenly hugging him. Her chest was pressing into his side as he just sat letting it all happen. "I forgive you, I know you said you don't expect it. But I do. Not that I can speak for Erza and Gray though." She said as she released the pinkete from her grasp. "Anyway." Lucy said trying to change the subject. The air was feeling dense and she wanted to change that. "Do you want to go do something?" Lucy said as she wanted to get to know the slayer better. "Yeah, follow me." Natsu said as they walked to the basement of the guild. The party was still going strong as they walked in. "I thought you would want to do something more private." Lucy said. But then she realized the way she said it made it seem like she was hinting at something else. "Ha, don't worry blondie. I know what you meant. But I cannot pass up free booze. So here we are." The pinkete said as he grabbed himself two large mugs and poured ale into them from a large keg. He sipped some down and sat at a vacant table while watching the rowdy fights and brawls taking place. "Ahh, that hits the spot." Natsu said as Lucy took a seat across from him. "Here, I got you one." Natsu said as he slid the large mug over to Lucy. "I fine thank you." She said waving her hands in the process. "Oh come on big girl, just try it." Natsu said with a grin on his face. So hesitantly. Lucy took the mug and took a big gulp, and then set it too the table.

"See that wasn't so bad now was it." The pink haired slayer blurted out at the blonde as he grinned. "I do hope your not already trying to knock some girls up by getting them drunk." Mira said as she walked over to the table. "Ha, no worries. I'm just trying to get her to relax. She's too tightly wrapped up for her own good." Natsu said as he looked to Lucy who was still blushing at Mira's comment. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I don't want to do it with Natsu." "That's what they always say until they get drunk." Mira said as she giggled. Mira then whispered into Lucy's ear. "You never know, he might be packing." She said with a devious smirk. Lucy never felt so red and hot in her life. She was now just starring at Natsu with embarrassment.

Natsu looked at Mira with an eyebrow raised. "What did you tell her?" HE said to the white haired barmaid. "Oh nothing, just girl stuff." She said with a slight giggle. "Really, because blondie over here looks like she's about to pop." Natsu said with questioning eyes. "But whatever you say." Natsu said as he ended the conversation and Mira wandered off in a more than chipper mood. "What did she tell you?" Natsu said inquisitively as he leaned forward and looked into Lucy's eyes making her slightly uncomfortable. "Hey don't look at me like that, its unsettling." Lucy said with a shiver. She then took another drink from her mug. She was starting to enjoy the taste. "Fine, don't tell. But I won't let you come with me when I go spying on Erza and Gray." This caused the blonde to almost spit out her drink. But she managed to swallow.

"Fine." She said begrudgingly as her face turned red again. "Mira said you might be... packing. If you know what I mean." Lucy said as she looked at her hands and started fidgeting with her fingers. "Oh, well to answer that I... Mmpphh." Natsu was stopped by Lucy as she put her hands over his mouth. "I don't want to know." Lucy said with a sweat drop as Natsu then nodded. "Okay." Natsu stated "Well lets go!" Natsu smiled as he got up to go out the guild with Lucy following him in suit. They walked down the streets towards the park in Magnolia. Lucy perked up and asked. "Were you really about to tell me how big you thing is." She said thinking back. "Yeah, why not." Natsu said as he shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, that's not something you just tell people you know." She said as she was starting to get flustered by this conversation. "I guess not, but you seem like a trustworthy person." Natsu said trying to hold back a grin. Now Lucy was frustrated by this. But not even in a bad way. It was like if a baby was saying curse words. "I don't think trust has anything to do with it."

Lucy said. By then Natsu was laughing. "Oh this is too good." he cried out. "Hey, its really not that funny." Lucy fumed as she started punching Natsu in the back playfully. But then Natsu suddenly stopped. And Lucy was a little confused. "What's going on?" She asked the pinkete who was looking at something. "Shhhh." He whispered. "Lets be quiet, were close." He said as he continued forward. The two crept up on the two figures that were talking under the tree in the middle of the park. Erza and Gray were sitting side by side against the main mast of the tree, and looking at the starry sky. "You know I can't except that, right?" Erza said as she looked at Gray with determined eyes. He looked back but he could not be so stern. "Erza I..." "No excuses. You need to tell me what your sorry for. I know your sorry." She said with an almost booming voice. Jeez. Gray thought. I can never handle her like this, she's so hard to please. "Okay fine. I'm sorry I let my self take my anger out on you, and that I was so reckless. Even if you started the fight." Gray whispered that last bit but Erza heard. She jabbed him in the arm and yelled. "Hey, I may have let out my anger too. And I know I can be temperamental sometimes." "Sometimes." Gray murmured under his breath.

"I'm trying to have a moment here if you mind." Erza said but then resumed. "I wasn't trying to make you feel bad, I wanted for you to just think about what your doing. I care about you. And I don't want to see you hurt." Erza said with a smile. "Thanks Erza, It means a lot. I also want to say that I was not thinking and I should not have pressed you so much about everything. Its been tough for the both of us and I just want to see that we stay close." Gray said as he eyed the face Erza made. God she was beautiful. Gray thought. But he did not really like her. I mean, she's my best friend. I just think that we wouldn't do well together. Although, I wouldn't mind a chance to see what she's like without any clothes on. But I don't know, maybe we could. Sigh. Gray did not realize, but Erza had been calling his name for a minute now. Finally he came out of thought when Erza punched him in the arm.

"Gray, you spaced out. Are you good." Erza said with worried eyes. Gray looked at her and thought up an answer. "Yeah, Its just that I want to ask you something." Erza who previously had a furrowed brow was now back to her normal self. "What is it." she said. This was a turn of events, he was just apologizing and now he seems different. Erza anticipated his response. It looked like he was hesitant or maybe reluctant to say. This wasn't like Gray. He was usually very straight forward. "Its just...I was. God." Gray said as he put his hand to his head in frustration. Erza could clearly see he was having a hard time. What was it he wanted. It must be important. But he seems so nervous, Erza thought.

Damn it, damn it, damn it. I'm blowing it. Gray thought to himself. If I don't say something It will just become awkward. Come on Gray you can do it. Over in the bushes Natsu and Lucy were sitting under the cover and listening. "See, I told you there was something." Natsu whispered to the blonde and she remarked. "I did not think Gray would get so flustered." She whispered back to the pinkete as she listened closely once again. "Gray, if there is something you want to say just say it. You can trust me." Erza smiled to him. "How do you feel about me." Gray said. He was shaking from nervousness, this was extremely stressful. He thought. "Oh." Erza said and put a finger to her lips in thought, she knew exactly what he meant by this. And she needed to give him a definitive answer as to not lead him on. Oh! Gray thought. Jesus I'm going to die. What does Oh mean! Gray screamed in his head. Erza then looked at Gray in a serious manner. Gray felt like he as going to die from this much anxiety. "Look, I like you Gray. I really do. I think your handsome and strong." She said as she caressed his raven colored locks of hair. " And that you have a bright future. But I don't feel the same way. At least if that's the way you meant it." Erza said as she looked into Gray's eyes. He looked a little hurt, but also determined.

"I understand, I thought that's how'd you'd feel. But I still want to be friends, I don't want you to fade away from my life." He said with fire in his eyes. Erza was deeply touched by his words. That was the sweetest thing anyone had ever told her. Erza then hugged Gray tightly. "Gray, we'll always be friends. And I'm sure that any girl would love to be with you. So just be confident with yourself." Erza spoke with a smile as the two stood up after the hug. "I'm going to head home, I'll see you at the guild." Erza said as she started on her way to the Fairy Hills dormitory. "Bye." Gray said as he watched her leave. As soon as she was out of sight he threw his fists up in a fury. "God, why am I so stupid!" Gray said as he grabbed his hair.

"Yeah, I agree. It was pretty bad." Natsu said as he started to break down in laughter. The pinkete was hunched over laughing when the raven haired mage marched over. Natsu looked at Gray while still laughing. Gray was furious at Natsu, how long was he watching. Gray stepped over and punched Natsu square in the jaw, as Natsu's head turned to the side. By then Natsu had stopped laughing and put on an irritated face. He spit out some blood from his mouth and turned his head to look straight at the raven haired mage. "Wrong move." Natsu said in finality. Suddenly Gray widened his eyes as he realized what he did. All Gray did was take a single step back with his left foot. Natsu pulled back his fist and thumped Gray hard right in his left eye. Gray fell to the ground unconscious and Natsu turned around in a huff. "Didn't have to punch me you know." He said as he walked back to Lucy who was watching from the bushes still. "Uhh, will he be okay." Lucy said did not expect this turn of events. "Yeah, he's just knocked out. Come on, lets take you home." Lucy was a little hesitant but she snapped out of it and followed the pinkete to her house. How does he know where my house is? Lucy thought to herself as she followed the pinkete. As they reached Lucy's front door she invited him in.

"Would you like something to drink." She said welcoming him into her humble abode. "Sure, sounds great." He said as they went inside. He followed the blonde to an upstairs section. And what he saw almost made him puke. "So, pink." Natsu said as he sat in a chair trying to calm himself. "Yeah, isn't it pretty." Lucy giggled as she put a smile to her face. "I would rather drink nightshade poison." Natsu said imitating drinking from a cup. Lucy frowned slightly at the remark. Well, I like it. She thought to herself. "Here you go." Lucy said handing a glass of water. "Don't worry, it's not poisoned." She said with a smile. "Oh, that's a bummer." Natsu said as he drank from the cup. "So, where do you live." Lucy asked the pinkete. She was curious if he lived close to her. "I haven't found a house yet." Natsu answered honestly as he stood to look out the window of Lucy's apartment. "Oh, do you want to sleep here tonight?" The blonde asked. "No. I don't want to intrude." Natsu said as he started down the stairs. "Thanks for the offer though." He said as he walked out the door. "Bye." Lucy said but Natsu did not respond.

* * *

Natsu walked the down the empty street. It was dim and dark and the moon was only a crescent. These streets were completely different at night. The narrow streets along with the style of the houses made it look as if the they were closing in on you. But of course Natsu was not affected by such trivial things as being afraid of the dark. He noticed the direction Erza went when she left to go home and he headed to the park to pick up her trail. He saw that Gray was not on the ground anymore. He must have gone home. Gray was suspicious of Natsu, But he was not smart enough to follow up on his accusations. Nor did he have anything on Natsu. The pink haired dragon slayer gave a large whiff of the air and could smell where Erza was in the city. His sense of smell was out of this world even by dragon slayer standards. Or so says master hades. But hat was a topic for another day. The trail lead him to a large apartment building. Fairy hills dormitory it read. "Huh, interesting." Natsu knew now that he could not just wander into the dorm and find her room.

He had to find a more stealthy way in. He started to climb the wall of the building as he continued to smell which rooms Erza lived in. And then bingo. He could tell this was Erza's apartment, her smell was very strong here. And so he very quietly opened the window and slipped into a room full of sets of armor on display. There had to be at least fifty of them stashed in this room. Along with racks full of exquisite weaponry. He walked lightly to the arched doorway and slinked into the next room and closed the door behind him. He could hear water running and he knew that meant Erza was in the shower. He walked across what looked to be a living room that also had a kitchen and dining room attached. Erza was very organized. Everything was very neat and orderly. But he wasn't surprised. He was like that as well. swiftly he went into her bedroom and saw that there were some clothes thrown onto the bed. There was a cute white blouse and a blue skirt he had seen her wearing. As well as a pair of black laced undergarments. "Huh. Never took you for the type." Natsu murmured to himself in the dark room. The bathroom door was slightly cracked he observed.

He then turned to her dresser and opened a random drawer. He found a few interesting nick knacks inside. But the most interesting was a pendant that was in he shape of a cross. However it also looked like a sword. The two side parts looked like the heads of dragons, and in the center of the cross was a spade. While at the hilt of the cross pendent was a pentagram. There were runic sigils down the broad side of the sword as well. "A cross-sword pendant?" Natsu said to himself in a whisper. It was an odd thing, it was made of silver and had some tarnish on it. It must be quite old. It was hung by a silver chain that was very strong but also fine and thin. Where did she get something like this. He could only wonder were she had gotten it. He quickly put it over his head and onto his neck. He then placed it under his shirt.

Natsu closed the drawer and walked over to the bathroom door that was cracked. Natsu then thought back to a lesson master hades taught him. It was a lesson about becoming a shadow. It was not shadow magic but more like magical disappearing. To blend and become the shadows. To use your magic to disappear. He learned it to aid him on assassination requests. And he himself would say he was quiet the assassin himself. So Natsu cast a magic seal that was black and became a translucent being. It was funny business becoming like this. Hades had so much knowledge of magic. It's quite incredible.

Natsu slowly opened the door and quickly closed it back to cracked open. He looked over to the shower to see a silhouette of Erza in the shower. But then all of a sudden she turned off the water. She the pulled the towel from the side and opened the curtain of the shower. Natsu pinned himself against the wall as the naked figure of Erza walked over in front of the mirror right ahead of Natsu. He breathed extremely quietly as he was only two feet from the naked redhead. She looked into the mirror at herself and she saw a blank wall behind her. She examined some scars that covered her body and then started to dry herself off. She then bent over to dry off her legs much to Natsu's dismay. "Shit." Natsu said barely audibly. Her ass was inches from his pelvis and he could feel his member stiffening. Erza had heard the word almost barely and she quietly stood up and looked behind her. Her eyes met with Natsu's. And his eyes widened, but then she turned back to the mirror again. Holy fucking shit! Natsu thought as he stood motionless and quietly. That was intense. Holy hell.

Erza then took a tooth brush and started to brush her teeth. Natsu could not leave until Erza open the bathroom door herself. SO he just had to watch her. She intrigued him greatly. And he thought that she hid many things from her friends about her actual self. But that was yet to be seen. She finished and opened the bathroom door and left it open thank god.

Natsu followed Erza out the bathroom and continued to watch from the shadows. She went into her bottom dresser drawer and found some undergarments to put on. Natsu had only seen two other naked women in his time, so he was not completely in the dark. But he was still mesmerized by her. Her choice of undergarment was a scarlet red lace underwear and bra. Kind of cliché Natsu thought as her hair was also scarlet. But it also looked great on her. But then Erza looked up and looked at her doorway. She gave a disgruntled look. And then Natsu remembered that this door was completely closed before. Shit. Natsu said in his head. Erza then walked to the door and out her room into the main room. Erza looked around in the dark room and saw that nobody was there. So she opted to go to the kitchen. She got out an apple from a basket and picked up a book and sat at the dinning table. She took a bite of the apple and started to read at a pre-marked place in the book. Natsu took the liberty of taking a seat at a chair positioned at the end of the table, and thank the heavens Erza's chairs were sturdy. Because they made not even a small creaking sound.

Erza felt weird, like someone was watching her. It was just a feeling. But it was putting her at edge. She put her book down and looked at the chair that Natsu was currently in. Erza stared at the empty seat for a minute and felt like she was losing her mind right now. There was nothing here, but she had sensed something. Natsu could tell she was onto him. However, it seems like she had no idea what it is she was looking for. Natsu locked eyes with Erza and she stared back at his. "Stop looking at me." Erza said aloud as she looked into the dark living room. Natsu knew she was not talking to him. But it was obvious she knew he was here. Maybe not him specifically. But he knew better. It was always so strange to watch people in there natural state. But wizards were more apt to sense things in there presence. Natsu then looked at the cover of the book and a smirk grew on his face. Well what do we have here, this was a smut novel. So Erza is into that type of thing. Never would have guessed.

The two wizards sat in silence for a few minutes before Erza picked her book back up and continued to read from it. She read for almost a half hour as Natsu sat and watched before she stood from her seat and set it back where it went. She then walked back to her room were she put the clothes on the bed to the side and pulled back the covers.

She went to close the door. And in the time she did Natsu had taken a seat on the floor on the right side of the bed. Erza laid onto the bed a rest the covers over her and she looked at the ceiling. She then turned her head to the left and once again Natsu locked eyes with the scarlet haired woman in the darkness of the room. "I know your there." Erza said and this time Natsu freaked out a little as he sat there under her scrutinizing gaze. Erza continued to examine the pitch black of the room. She felt like a little kid waiting for a monster to pop out from under the bed.

But then something happened that put Erza at full alert. Suddenly the left bedroom window flew open and a gush of wind flew into and brought with it bitter cold air. Erza had jumped from her bed and requiped a sword to her hand. But then she regretted it as she began to shiver from the open window. "What the hell was that." She said quietly to herself. She quickly closed the opened window and slipped back into bed with her sword next to her. That night she barely got any sleep.

* * *

July 11, X784, Magnolia

The next morning was an odd one. Erza was still confused about what happened last night. She was walking towards the guild hall at the moment and as she neared closer she saw Gray walking to the guild as well. But something about him was definitely different. Gray adorned a large black eye on his left eye. What the hell happened to him? She thought as she closed in on him. "Gray." Erza said as she walked over to the raven haired man. "Oh, hey Erza." Gray said in an almost ashamed voice as he put a hand over his eye. "What happened to you eye, did you get into a fight?" Erza asked worried about her friend.

"Well, kind off." Gray said. Erza then took his hand off hi eye and looked at Gray's eye that was squinted and black all around. It was not puffed up at all thank god, but it was still all reddish black. "So what happened." She asked once more to the ice make mage. "It was that prick Natsu. Turns out he was listening in on our conversation last night." Gray said in a frustrated voice. Erza looked a little pissed off at the moment about that as well. "That guys a real asshole. When I saw him I just walked over and punched him in the jaw. But the only thing that happened was that his head moved to the side. And then he said wrong move and punch me in the eye. I don't remember after that. But then I woke up still lying here on the ground." Gray finished as Erza replied. "Well then I'll just give him a piece of my mind when I see him." She said in a stern voice. then she and Gray walked to the guild hall that was by now bustling with activity. The two walked in and Gray's eye stuck out like a soar thumb, or a soar eye I guess.

"What happened my boy." Asked Makarov as he looked over to Gray with an inquisitive look on his face. "I was punched by Natsu." Gray said bluntly and many looked at the pink haired mage sitting at the bar. "Sigh." Natsu sighed. Now he would have to deal with this mess. Makarov looked at Natsu with his brow raised. "Now tell me Natsu my boy. Why would you do this?" Makarov asked as Natsu stood from his seat and looked at the small master. "Well he punched me and then I punched him. Here's the mark to prove." Natsu showed the master the small red mark on his jaw and it was indeed there. Erza walked over to Natsu and punched him in his face. This caused everyone to pale at the interaction. The master was quite confused by this especially. "Gray said you eavesdropped on our conversation last night. And I don't appreciate that you did that." Erza said with a stern face. Natsu looked at her with an equally stoic face. Everyone was on the edge of there seat at what would happen next. But the silence was broken by Natsu.

"Okay, I suppose it was not right of me to go snooping in your stuff. But I am a naturally curious person." Natsu said as a smirk grew onto his face. Suddenly then Erza's eyes widened as a thought came into her head. But then she quickly dismissed the line of thinking. "Fine." She said and she sat at the bar and stared off deep in thought. Everyone else went along with there own business by then. "You know you really get on my nerves. I thought last night we had resolved everything. And then you go and do this." Gray said as he too walked away and sat at a table with Lucy. Lucy was surprised that Natsu did not pull her under the bus with him. But she was also grateful of it as well.

Natsu went over to the request board and looked at the jobs that littered it. Then some short girl with blue hair came over to the board as well. There were two men that were with her, but they were slinking around in the back. "It's Natsu, right?" Levy said to the pinkete. "Yeah it is. I never picked up your name though." Natsu said to the blue haired girl. "It's Levy." She said as she extended her hand out to greet Natsu. He shook her hand and with a smile he said. "Pleasure to meet you." After that she went to looking to the requests on the board. "So I heard you are quiet strong." Levy said and this caused Erza to perk up and listen in. "Yeah, something like that." Natsu said as he rubbed the back of his head. "So I have a question. How do I get to do the harder missions?" Natsu said with genuine curiosity.

"Well you have to be an S-Class wizard to go. But if you get one to go with you on the mission, I'm sure the master will allow it. But you will want to stick with the jobs down here until your ready." Levy said and then picked a request and headed to the bar to accept the job. "Get a wizard to go with me, huh." He said and then looked at Erza. Erza saw this and got up from her position at the bar. "So, Erza." Natsu said as he walked up to the redhead. "I know what your going to say. And no. I don't think your ready." She said with a smirk as she crossed her arms. for once Natsu actually took insult by this. His face cringed as he spoke. "Not...ready?" Natsu questioned as Erza nodded her head. "You need some experience with regular jobs before you can do any S-Class requests." Erza said as she knew this would upset Natsu greatly. Natsu closed his eyes and breathed in and out very slowly and deep. He would not let this get the better of him. But then he made a remark that turned the tables. "Your afraid I'll outshine you." The pinkete said as Erza fumed. "Whatever. I just think you should do some to get more experience. She said going back to her calm demeanor. She looked to be wise when she was in this calm state. She was focused and pristine.

"Okay, but I would like my team to go with me." Natsu emphasized the word team and Erza nodded at this. She then smiled which made Natsu a little at ease. "That actually sounds like a good idea." She said as she turned on her heel and looked at Lucy and Gray who were talking at a table not far from the two of them. She then boomed in a loud yet still comforting tone. "Gray, Lucy. Were going on a mission." As she said this Gray gulped as he saw Natsu was standing with her. damn it. Gray thought. He and Lucy then both got up and walked over to them. "So what's the job?" Gray asked Erza.

"I actually don't know myself. Natsu?" Erza inquired as she turned to look at the pinkete. "What?" He said with arms crossed. "Pick a job." Erza almost demanded as Natsu went over to the request board. "Hey Erza, you going on a job?" Mira asked as she wiped down the bar. "Yes, I made a team too. It's me, Gray, Lucy, and Natsu over there." Erza said pointing to Natsu as Mira looked over. The barmaid sweat dropped at this. "So the four of you, are a team." She said. But then she screamed out with glee. "Oh my! You'll be the strongest team in Fairy tail!" Mira exclaimed for everyone to hear. And indeed everyone was now looking. "Those four, this'll be good." Wakaba said to Macao. "Yeah, they will have half a town destroyed before they can even say destroy!" Macao said with glee. The two then laughed with each other.

"This is great, we have to tell the master." Mira said cheerfully. Natsu looked over at the commotion. "Please, that guy is going to die if you tell him." Natsu said to himself with a chuckle. "Tell me what." Master Makarov then appeared from his office. "Erza is teaming up with Gray, Lucy, and Natsu!" Mira gleefully cheered. But then the master turned pale at this news. "Not the property fines!" Makarov sobbed as he sat at the bar. "Don't worry master, we'll be careful." Erza smiled at the master. But this only made it worse. Makarov looked at her and then started to sob again.

* * *

July 15, X784, Eastern Fiore

"I hate trains." Natsu said as he hunched over a trash can and threw up. "Hahhahaahha!" Gray laughed at Natsu's expense. "Oh fuck you." Natsu said as he threw up again. "Who new your weakness was transportation." Gray doubled over laughing out once more at this. "Well we should get going, It's almost dusk, and we should get to the town." Erza said in her usual stoic voice. "Yeah I agree, I don't want to be in the dark if there's a monster." Lucy said as she shivered. ""I believe the monster is nocturnal." Natsu said which made Lucy yelp. "Nocturnal?" "Yeah, the description says here that it's most active at night." Natsu said with a bored tone. He could not believe he was doing a job for only J250,000 jewels. It was almost disgraceful to his name. As the salamander, who takes only the hardest of quests. But I suppose dealing with these buffoons is pretty hard as it is.

The four then walked from the station to the town hall that was in the middle of the town. The town was In the middle of a large pine forest. They entered the hall and saw that it was vacant at the moment. "Guess we'll have to wait for morning." Erza said but when she turned to walk back Natsu grabbed her shoulder. "Wha!...Natsu?!" She was surprised by this action. "There's someone here in the that room over there." Natsu said as he pointed to a room to the right. "Oh, okay.' She said. I guess it's useful to have a dragon slayer she thought. The four walked over and Natsu knocked three times at the large white door.

"Hello?" Someone said on the inside. "We are mages from Fairy tail, were here for the request." Erza said to the white door as she waited. "Oh goody." They heard a scuffle in the room before the door opened, revealing a chubby old man with a long gray beard. "I was told you were coming, But I did not expect you to come by this late." The old mayor said as he walked back to his desk. The four followed and stood on the other side. The old man had glasses and was of average height. He had a large bald spot on the center of his head. He had long gray hair and wore a brown leather vest with a long sleeve gray button up shirt beneath. He wore black dress pants as well as black dress shoes. He then eyed Erza and spoke. "Your the Titania, I've heard of you. Good to know we have an experienced mage here." Erza laughed a little at this but put her hand over her mouth as to not annoy Natsu.

"Pffhhh." Natsu blew air out his mouth in an irked manor. Jeez, not being known again was kind of a let down. In the underworld, everyone knew his name. And they all feared the name salamander. Natsu tuned back to what the old man was saying. "As you may have figured out, your timing is perfect. The beast wanders in the night." The old mayor said as he put his hand to his chin. "But seeing that it is almost night, you will be able to kill it effective immediately." The mayor said. "Can you give us any information of the beast other than what was on the poster?" Erza said to the old mayor.

"Why of course." He said with a smile. But then his face turned serious. "Well first, it should be noted that the beast has only been here for about three weeks." He spoke softly. "Now this is not an ordinary beast, the towns people may not know. But I've been around long enough to know." He said. "To know what?" Gray said to the old man. However, Natsu was already ahead of them. "It's a demon, isn't it." Natsu said with a serious face. He had not encountered a demon in a long time. This would be exciting to say the least. "Very perceptive of you young man." The mayor said. "Anyway." The mayor continued. "The demon has some sort of wind magic, because every night we have been getting rain and thunder storms. The winds are quiet intense as well. Some of the houses on the outskirts have been destroyed by trees flying into them." The mayor spoke with a sad tone. Remembering the few families that died during the first storms. "You say it's a demon, does it have a description of what it looks like." Natsu said intrigued.

"Yes, I've never seen it personally. But, I have been told it had wings of some sort. That's all I know." He said as he put his hand to his forehead and shook his head. "There is nothing else I can tell you." The mayor said. This made Natsu suspicious. It seemed to him that the mayor was not telling the whole truth. "Well then, we will take care of this demon and save your town. Don't you worry. Erza assured the old mayor as they walked out of the town hall. "Lets get to a high vantage point." Natsu said as he looked at a bell tower not too far from there location. "Good idea." Erza said as they climbed the stairwell inside the tower and got to the top. The tower was at least sixty feet high. So it was definitely the tallest building here in the town. "Look, it's started." Gray said as the storm clouds swirled around and the rain started to pour from the sky. The crackle of thunder in the twisted sky.

Then from above the clouds Natsu noticed a shadow soaring above. "Fuck." Natsu said aloud as the others looked at him with curious faces. "What's wrong?" Lucy said to the pinkete as he continued to look at the sky. "What are you looking for?" Erza asked as she too was quiet curious what could startle a mage like Natsu. "Did you not see that shadow? I don't thing this is a demon." Natsu said forebodingly and he continued his search of the sky from the tower. "What do you mean?" Erza said with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean not a demon?" Gray said as he furrowed his brow. He was not going to be happy if Natsu was just play a trick on them. "No seriously... look. "As he said that the four all looked and witnessed a giant shadow that soared above the clouds. "That looks like a...a." Erza was cut off bye Natsu who was equally dumbfounding by the beast soaring above.

"A dragon." Natsu finished as Lucy quivered in the back. "Hey don't worry Luce, we will find a way." Gray assured the blonde. She nodded, but half believed what he said. And then from the sky came a gut retching sound that pierced the ears of everyone in the town. **ROOOOAAAAARRRRRR!** The screeching sound almost made Natsu's ears bleed. "I knew it! The mayor lied!" Natsu said as Erza nodded to him. "There's no way they haven't heard that before! We are not getting paid enough for this shit!" Natsu yelled out as the wind was loud and sweeping.

He had to yell so the others could hear him. The wind was swishing and whipping furiously. "Okay! Gray!" Natsu said and looked sternly at the Raven haired mage. "Yeah!" Gray shouted in response. "Get Lucy out of here and protect her, there's nothing you can do to help at the moment!" He screamed. Gray begrudgingly knew he was right and nodded to Natsu. The two then ran down the bell tower. "Erza! Do you trust me!" Natsu said as he looked to the redhead who was holding on the rails. "NO! "She shouted bluntly to the pinkete as she smirked. "Well your going to have to!" He yelled back and analyzed the situation. He had never faced a dragon, and he was not sure if he had the strength to take one down. "DO you have an armor that can fly!" Natsu questioned the redheaded mage. "Yeah, I do!" She said as she quickly requiped into her armor. **Requip : Flight Armor!**

"That's a very original name you got there!" Natsu yelled sarcastically. "Oh shut up!" She retaliated. This armor was quiet revealing. And it made Natsu blush when he looked at her cle... "Hey! My eyes are up here!" She growled and then asked. "Do you have a plan!" She wondered. "Kind of!" Natsu said looking to the sky once more. "Do you think you can boost me up there!" He bellowed to the redhead. "Are you insane!" She said with a look of shock on her face. "Pretty much!" Natsu said with a grin. Of course he would say that. "Okay, but you'll have to use your rocket boost thing as well!" She said. "Already planning on it!" And with that the set up. Natsu stood of the rail along with Erza. "Ready!" She said. "Yeah!" Natsu then from his fists rocketed him set up and then Erza flew up and kicked the bottom of Natsu's boot. Natsu then used this to jump high and rocket into the clouds with super sonic speed. "Good luck!" Erza said as she stood on the slanted spire on the tower and held onto the zenith of the roof. But there was no response.

Natsu was launched in the air and luckily for him the dragon was swooping his way. Thankfully It did not seem to notice him. Natsu then panicked a little as he started to fall back down. But the dragon caught him on it's back. The dragon seemed not to notice Natsu landed on him. Thank the gods. This dragon was absolutely gigantic. Natsu thought to himself. He had seen drawings in books of dragons. There were huge, but they looked stocky. However this dragon looked far more slender and longer. It's body was still like a dragons though. It was elegant and astounding. Its scales were a shimmery white and blue shade and also had some silver. Its wings looked like a gryphons, except they were all scaly and not at all feathery. The dragon had a tail that was as long as it's body with a spinal fin going from the end of its tail to behind the head of the dragon. It was half as tall as Natsu was. But then Natsu came out of his wonderous daze and realized he was standing on the back of a dragon. A dragon he somehow needed to defeat. He then ran the length of the body to the elongated neck of the dragon. He held the spinal fin as to not fall off and then jumped onto the head of the dragon. However this time the dragon felt it. **ROOOAAAARRRRR!** The dragon roared again but this time it was not as loud.

The dragon then started spinning in the air and Natsu held on for dear life. He slid from the to the front of the dragons snout. And the dragon stopped spinning when it saw him. Natsu looked at the eyes that were blue with thin oval pupil. They were not quite slits, and because they weren't. Natsu thought the dragon did not look entirely evil. The dragon huffed and closely examined the man on his snout. He was a dragon slayer, he could smell it. But there was something else about him as well. Something darker. The dragon then squinted it's eyes. Natsu was just hanging on and watching the expression the dragon was making. He wasn't sure what he should do. But he knew he needed to take this thing down. So suddenly Natsu made a crucial and decisive action. He gathered fire in his mouth and puffed his cheeks.

The dragon saw this and it's eyes widened. **Fire Dragons Roar!** Natsu bellowed out a huge white hot flame and the dragon before him roared out. **ROOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRR!** This screech was the loudest and Natsu swore he had just gone deaf from it as he was right in front of the dragon when the giant beast plunged out of the sky. Erza saw a giant flash and then a huge roar that made her have to cover her ears. It shattered the glass of many buildings in the town and lightning started cracking and sparking in a tempest. But then Erza's eyes widened as a huge dragon fell through the clouds with Natsu hanging off of it. Luckily they fell to the north of the village and the dragons tail only destroyed one house. A huge patch of forest was crushed under the crash.

"Oh god." Natsu said as he rubbed his aching head. But then he realized that the dragon was shifting in its spot. The dragon got up and rose it's head up high at least ninety feet high. "Holy fuck!" Natsu said as he was now thinking about how crazy this was. The beast was immense in size and in valor. The neck of the dragon alone was forty foot. There was a flap made of scaled that went down the length of the neck like a cobra, but rather it had short and thick spikes down the flap. The beast had two long front arms and shorter back legs. The total length had to be at least two hundred feet. But then he snapped out from his awe after a minute. Natsu quickly rushed forward at the dragon. The dragon gathered air in its mouth and released a sonic echo into the sky. This caused a shockwave that made Natsu fly back and it destroyed building behind him. The dragon then flew up with the flap of its wings.

They created gale force winds and destroyed a huge number of trees in the vicinity. Natsu pushed a tree off of him and coughed up some blood in the process. He then gathered his flames. And launched himself forward like a rocket. He flew up and drew back his fist and conjured a devastating attack. **Fire Dragons Destruction Hammer!** The attack was infused with his black flame without him even trying to use it. The strike pounded the huge dragon into the air. The dragon flew back in the air at least twenty feet, but then gained it's composure back. Natsu looked at his hands. What was that? He wondered. That had never happened before. But before Natsu could continue his train off thought the dragon swooped down and made another deafening screech.

**Scccrrreeeeeeekkkkkkk!** The sound rung out and echoed. Natsu's ears were in tremendous pain from the sound. He knew the dragon was using his acute sense of hearing against him. The dragon swooped over the town and gathered his magic in his mouth. The dragon then released the torrents of high pressure air and crushed some houses under the force of the attack. Erza from the bell tower was frozen at the moment. She was awed that such a beast still existed. But she had to do something. She flew after the dragon that was headed for Natsu. But then she heard Natsu scream to her from the distance.

"NO! DON'T COME! YOU NEED TO FIND GRAY AND LUCY!" Natsu said as Erza looked at him with grief. Natsu was right though, she needed to find them. She took off running to find Gray and Lucy and left Natsu alone with the dragon in the freshly made clearing. "Okay you bastard! Come and get me!" Natsu roared as the dragon swooped in and tried to claw at Natsu. But then the dragon landed in the clearing and once again readied its sonic shockwave. When it released Natsu tried to fight the winds. He managed to not be knocked down but that's all he could muster. He was not able to move and he had his arm in front of his face to protect from flying debris. Natsu bolted at the dragon when the wind slowed down and he leaped I the air. **Fire Dragons Explosion!** Natsu released his fire bomb but the dragon used its wings to shield it from the blast. The explosion was quiet large and left scorch marks on the wings of the tempest dragon. When Natsu landed back on the ground he saw the dragon developing lightning in it's mouth and his eyes widened.

Then in a flash the blue lightning was released from the dragons mouth. And in a flash it struck Natsu right in his chest nearly piercing his heart. It struck three inches to the right from the vital organ. Natsu felt and unbelievable scorching burning feeling in his body as he flashed and jolted. When he flashed you could see him convulse as well as see a blueprint of his skeleton. He staggered to the ground as lightning was oozing from is mouth and around him. He felt like his body was being fried. "Graaahhh! Ahhhgraah! Aaagraggra!" Natsu screamed in agony as the tempest dragon watched him quietly. He felt the immense energy in his body slowly breaking away from within. It was ripping him apart from the inside. Erza could hear the agonizing screams from atop a building but she could not see him.

"Damn it!" She said as she started to run back to where he was. She ran as fast as she could and found the edge of the clearing. She saw the dragon but paid it no mind. She ran to Natsu but dared not touch him. What she saw made her eyes tear up. Natsu was shaking and convulsing of the ground uncontrollably like he was having a seizure. "Oh my god." Erza cried as she put her hands to her face to wipe her incoming tears. She knew she was not terribly close to this man. But he was still a member of Fairy tail and this was a horrible site. He was in such pain. Erza looked at the dragon who sternly looked back at anticipated what she would do next. But Erza rather got to her knees and was trying to hold Natsu. Erza attempted, but he was coated in lightning and it was burning her. But she persisted and tried to drag him away. She took one last look at the dragon before it took to the air and disappeared, taking the storms along with it.

Natsu was still convulsing, but not as badly now. She dragged him all the way to the town hall. And then when she got there Lucy and Gray ran up since the storms subsided. They walked up and saw the state Natsu was in. "Oh shit." Gray said astonished that Natsu was in such a state. Lucy gasped and covered her mouth. "He got what was coming to him." Gray said as Erza stood up and gave him a piercing glare. She smacked him in the face hard and it left a bright red hand shaped mark. "How could you say that, he protected us from that beast!" Erza snapped at Gray and he sunk down with guilt.

"Sorry, it's just." "It's nothing Gray!" Erza scowled and Gray nodded. "Now help me carry him." Erza commanded as both gray and Lucy helped pick up Natsu. He was heavier than she had expected though. "Lucy, go tell the mayor the dragon has left. But that we need to get medical help for Natsu! Quickly!" Erza snapped at the blonde. "Of course." Lucy ran inside quickly to find the mayor. She went to the left room and rapidly knocked. "Hello! Are you there." Lucy cried out. She was then startled as the mayor quickly opened the door. "Our friend needs a doctor or he could die." She almost yelled at the old mayor. "Oh dear, follow me!" The mayor suddenly became very spry and leaped out the door and out of the town hall. As soon as the mayor popped outside the building Erza grabbed him by his vest and yelled. "That was not a god damn demon It was a fucking dragon!" Erza yelled to the mayor who was a little scared of the redhead now. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." The mayor cried. Erza released him and he fell to his knees.

"I did not mean for this to happen, but no one would have come to help if I had said that a dragon was plaguing our town." The old mayor sobbed with genuine tears and Erza felt bad for having been so harsh. "No, don't do that." She said as she helped the mayor to is feet. "Take us to a doctor." Erza said and the mayor nodded. "Yes, yes. Right this way." Erza and gray ended up carrying Natsu as Lucy followed behind. They reached a small clinic that still had some lights on and the old mayor lead them inside. "Paul, please help this boy. He fought our beast away." The old mayor cried out as the man named Paul cam out from a back hiding room and came to see what was happening. "He certainly looks like he fought a dragon." The doctor then turned on his heel. "Lay him on that bed." He commanded Erza and Gray and they set him on a bed that had white sheets. It was in the middle to right side of the room. They laid him down with a grunt and Natsu gasped. However he was not conscious.

"Aaarrrgggraaaa!" Natsu screamed another agonizing yelp as his mouth shot lightning from it and then he fell back to the bed and his eyes opened but there were no pupils or white parts. They were solid blue. "Quick get a sedative from that shelf over on the left!" Paul screamed out. Erza bounded over to the shelf and on the top shelf was a small box. "Yes that's it." The doctor said. Then Erza handed it to Paul as he took it from the box pulled out a small vile. He then grabbed a syringe and then injected the fluid into Natsu's neck. Then all of a sudden Natsu's squirming stopped. "What did you do?" Gray asked. "I gave him a heavy sedative that will knock him out for a long while." Then once Natsu was still. Then Paul took of his now tattered shirt to reveal him very muscular and toned chest. They all finally got a good look at him.

What they saw was nerve racking. Natsu was covered in burns that spread outward from a hole in his chest that was about two inches across as well as a little shy of being one inch deep. His ribs were slightly exposed and there was a layer of muscle and tissue you could see right around the ribs. The burns were red and black and in streaks. "Okay, we need to operate on him quickly!" Paul said. He quickly looked into the hole and found that the hole was still sparking. "There must be magic in him, we have to remove it fast. If not, the dragons magic with overpower his own." This caused Erza to panic. "How do we remove it!" She cried as some tears started to form again. "With magic of course." Paul said as Erza was a little confused. "What do you mean?" Erza knew that there was not a type of healing magic, so she was curious what this man had up his sleeve. Paul was a tall man with log gray hair put in a pony tail, and wore glasses. Similar to the mayor. He was lean and wore a lab coat with black pants and shoes with a brown colored shirt. Paul used some sort of magic that glowed gold.

"Its called reveal magic. Not very useful for battle. But perfect for the medical field. It lets the user know what the cause of pain or what if wrong with a person. At least physically. It doesn't work on mental cases." He said as he placed his hand over the hole and then said. "He had magic shards imbedded in his chest. This is the cause of the seizures and pain." Paul then waved to Erza. "Get me a scalpel and a pair of tweezers. This could get messy." He said as Erza went to where he pointed and got the tool and tweezers. "Now if you are squeamish you may not want to look. Also I need some help. Erza, would you mind." Paul said to the redhead. "Not at all." She said calmly. But underneath the calm exterior was a nervous wreck. She had never helped with surgery nor had she any experience with the medical field. But she would try so Natsu could live. "Now just wait a second as I make an incision." Paul then cut two slits and blood started to flow out of them. "Thankfully the heat of the lightning cauterized his wound. But the sedative also helps slow blood flow." Paul said as Erza nodded. Gray, Lucy, and the Mayor watched from a bench as they proceeded in surgery.

"Now can you hold open this cut." Paul said. Erza was not squeamish but this was still gross. As she held open the cut she could see blood flowing out and layers of tissue. But she could also see that at the bottom of the incision was something that shined a dull blue color. "There it is!" Paul exclaimed as he took the tweezers and clamped onto the exposed shard. He gripped the tweezers tight and slowly pulled out the shard. It was easily an inch long and covered in blood. Paul pulled out a petri dish and dropped the shard in with a clinking sound. "Onto the next." Paul stated as Erza then held open the second cut. Once again Paul pulled the shard. This one was closer to two inches in length and took a little more effort to take out. Then when that was finished. The doctor got needle and thread. "Now this will take awhile, so you must hold very still." Paul looked at Erza for an answer.

"Got it." She said. They were at the stitching for almost an hour before they finished. Each incision was deep, so Paul mage two layers of stitching for both cuts. Finally they finished the intense work and sat back to see their work. For the most part the wound looked like it would heal. Natsu's face finally looked peaceful after the process. "Man, that was intense." Gray said as he wipe his forehead of sweat. "You didn't even help out." Erza said as she looked at Gray with a questioning look. "Well youngsters your friend will live. As long as he takes it easy. If he strains himself too much he most definitely could die." Paul said as he took a sip from his coffee. "I'll keep an eye out for him, don't worry." Erza said to the elder. "So, I guess we never formally got introduced." Paul said as he stood from his stool. "I'm Paul Falters, nice to meet you." Paul held his hand out to Erza who shook it with much determination. "I'm Erza as you may know. This is Gray, Lucy. And that is Natsu over there." She spoke as she looked over to Natsu. Paul then walked over to the mayor. "This is my good friend Walter Malakoff." "Yes that is me." The old mayor said. "Once again, I am deeply sorry for not telling the truth. But your friend still fought valiantly against the beast I assure you. I could see the fight from my window." Walter said as he bowed to Erza. "Oh please, there's no need for that. But we would have tried to help even if we knew the truth." Erza said to comfort the old mayor. "Oh thank you so much." Walter said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Now about the specific." Walter said as he coughed into his hand. "Of course we will pay you for your trouble, but what of the dragon?" Walter asked as Gray and Lucy perked up at this. "Yeah Erza, where's the dragon?" Gray asked the redhead. "All I know is that it flew away. But I was in such a hurry to get Natsu a doctor that I did not think to look where it went." Erza stated truthfully. "That's okay dear." Walter said, but he was still worried. "But sir, I cannot take the reward. We failed to effectively eliminate the danger to your town. But I also think we may have caused it as well." Erza said. "What do you mean." Walter said in confusion. "Natsu started the fight, but only because he wanted to protect the town. In doing so, we caused more damage than the dragon would have ever made." Erza said as sternly. She had a identity to protect, The fairy tail name. "We don't take money for jobs we failed to complete." Erza finally said and Gray stepped up and nodded in agreement. "Well okay. But at least let us treat you to a nice Inn. Just to show you some hospitality." Walter said. "That sounds like a fair trade." Erza said

"We will probably leave in the morning." Erza stated to the mayor but then Paul grabbed her shoulder. "No. As this boys doctor, I cannot let him leave for at least a week." Paul said with a face that said he meant it. If there was one thing he was serious about. It was the health and wellbeing of his patients. Erza gave Paul a look like he had two heads. "A week!" She said as she realized exactly what he had just said. "Yes a full week. A full hundred and sixty eight hours." Paul finished. "We have a very talented physician back home in Magnolia." Erza said trying not to have to come back to get Natsu. "What's this physicians name may I ask." He was making sure this girl was not trying to trick him. "She's also a members of fairy tail. Her name is Porlyusica." Erza thought that Paul would just blow this off, but then to her surprise he smiled brightly. "Porlyusica, small world isn't it. She still kicking around." He said with a smile. "More like biting." Erza said and caused the two to laugh a little. "So how do you know her?" Erza questioned. "Oh, that's a long story, sorry. But If she will be looking after him. I suppose you can leave tomorrow. Just take some of this sedative with you for the trip." Paul explained to Erza exactly how to administer the drug. Afterward Erza, Gray and Lucy went to the nicest inn in the town free of charge and were given there room.

The three walked up the stairway, and into the room number seven. There were two beds in the room and a bathroom off to the side. "Lucy, you don't mind sharing a bed do you?" Erza said, hitting up Lucy for an answer. "Not at all," Lucy said. With a smile. "Gray you get that bed." Erza said pointing to the bed on the right. "Fine by me," He retorted. As he lay down on the bed. "What do you think your doing?" Erza interrogated. "Laying on my bed?" Gray questioned. What now, Gray thought. "You need to take a shower, you smell." Gray was a little irked by this, but irritably complied. Before he walked into the bathroom he joked. "You know you smell..." Gray was cut off when Erza threw a dagger in his direction. "too..." He finished. Gray closed the bathroom door and turned on the water.

"Boys, am I right." Lucy said trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah, boys." Erza said as her mind drifted to Natsu and his wounds. This just caused Erza to scowl as she sat on the bed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to strike a nerve," Lucy said. As she sat next to Erza. "No, it was fine. It's just that I felt so helpless to help Natsu. He fought that dragon all by himself and now he almost died," Erza said. In a frustrated tone. "Believe me, I know the feeling," Lucy said. While looking down at her feet.

The two continued to talk until Gray finished his shower. Then Erza and Lucy both took their turns in the bathroom before turning in for the night. Erza did not sleep well that night, she was too focused on Natsu's wellbeing.

* * *

July 16, X784, The next day.

The morning went bye in almost a flash as the team readied for their departure. They finally went to the clinic to retrieve Natsu to go home. "Hey Paul, were here for Natsu." Erza said as Paul walked around from his private room in the back. "Well hey there Erza and company." Paul said also making note of Gray and Lucy. "Wait a second." Paul said as he went to the back and dug around for a minute. He came back with a stretcher and put in beside the bed Natsu was on. "Use this, it will make transporting him easier. Plus it won't look like you murdered him." Paul gave a hearty laugh at this, as well as Gray. However Erza and Lucy did not find it as funny. "Anyway, Paul. Thank you so much for saving him." Erza stepped over and hugged him tightly which mage the elderly man wheeze a little. "Don't forget you played a part as well." Paul said with a wide smile. "And don't you forget it. You kids enjoy your life. Because you have long ones ahead of you." Paul smiled and then helped load Natsu onto the stretcher with Erza. Erza and Gray walked out of the clinic with Natsu and walked to the train station with the precious cargo. As they closed in at the train an employee stopped them. "Hey, you can't just put that man on the train like that." The man said. But before he could say anything else, Erza punched him straight in the face. Effectively knocking out the man.

"You know that was probably unnecessary." Gray stated. "Well he was annoying me," Erza countered to the ice make mage. They made their way into a booth and set Natsu in a seat. Lucy and Gray sat on one side while Erza sat with an unconscious Natsu in her lap. It made her pretty uncomfortable because it was a very intimate thing for Natsu's face to be so close to her you know what. Especially when he turn his face in the direction of it. Then she could feel his breath through her blue skirt. But at the same time she really didn't mind too much. They were just body features, and it was not like anything was going to happen anyway. For most of the train ride everything went smoothly. The only hiccup in the plan had been the one time Natsu fell off Erza's lap and onto the ground. She mentally and physically cringed when he landed face first into the trains floor. However everything else went fine.

When they had finally gotten to magnolia the three took Natsu directly to Porlyusica's hut. "You know, I get the feeling that Porlyusica isn't going to like this very much." Gray said as they walked the unconscious Natsu through the woods east of Magnolia. "I'm sure it will be fine. It's not like she would turn him away." Erza said. "Hey! don't jinx it!" Gray said jokingly as Erza laughed. They reached the hut and Lucy knocked on the door. When the door opened Porlyusica was not pleased. "What do you want." The pink haired woman snapped. "We need you to look after Natsu." Erza said as they showed Porlyusica. She took one look at Natsu's chest and was actually concerned. She let out a gasp and told them. Bring him inside, this is important." They did so and they sat Natsu on the medical bed.

"Now what happened, because it looks like he has already been treated?" The elder woman asked. "We went on a quest and encountered a dragon. Natsu fought the dragon." Erza looked down, she was still a little distraught bye how she found him. "A dragon!" Porlyusica exclaimed. "What kind of dragon?" She asked. "I don't really know, you would have to ask Natsu." Erza said as Gray and Lucy nodded. "Fine. Who treated him. I know you could not have done it." Porlyusica said sharply. "It was a doctor named Paul Falters." Erza said. "Falters. That's a name I've not heard in a long while." Said the elder woman as she looked down in thought. "So what do you want from me?" Porlyusica asked. "Paul said he needed at least a week of bedrest. And he said he would charge you with taking care of him." Erza said. "Fine, but only because it was him who suggested it." Porlyusica said and it shocked Erza that she actually complied so easily. "Now out, out. Off with you, scram." Porlyusica said as the three went off running from her hut and back to the town.

Porlyusica went back inside and closed her door. She took a seat and looked at Natsu and thought of the last encounter she had with him. Odd kid.

Erza, Gray and Lucy walked from the hut to the guild hall. They were at the front door and pushed it open and went inside, Mira greeted them, but noticed someone was missing. "Hey Guys welcome back! Hey. Where's Natsu?"

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Thanks a bunch for reading and I really hope you like it. This was my longest chapter yet at 14.5 THOUSAND! words. please give me feedback on what you thought of this and like I said I don't care if it's harsh. I want comments. **

**So be ready for the next one. Because I have the Idea all set out will try and set out on writing it effective immediately.**

**Anyway, have a great day and get ready for Chapter 8!**


	8. Goodbye Blue Sky

**I do not own Fairy tail, that belongs solely to Hiro Mashima**

**Welcome to chapter 8, you made it! Hurray! Now I know I have been all over the place with when I publish new chapters. But I will try hard to get into a routine when it comes to it. Any who enough about me. I want you to tell me how you thought of this chapter after you read it. Don't worry. Any feedback is great. I want to know what you think of my writing and if you have any criticism.**

**(For the sake of the story I must tell you that I took some inspiration from 'Avatar the Last Air bender' in this chapter. I do not own that.)**

**Enjoy the story!**

* * *

Chapter 8 : Goodbye Blue Sky

X784, Magnolia, Natsu's Dream State.

The thick air was bitter cold as Natsu looked around in the pitch black. This was nothing like he had seen or felt before. He felt weak and drained of energy. He rubbed his throbbing and aching head as he grunted. Where am I? Natsu thought to himself as he got up. His whole body was soar and he could feel the denseness of the foul smelling air. It was all dark around him except for a dim lit path. He slowly meandered down the path and was at full alert. The sounds of scuffles in the thick miasmic air. He found it almost hard to breathe. He felt as If he was being followed by something, as he heard footsteps in his shadow. Natsu felt something touch his hair and he swiftly turned around and punched the air as small bits of blue lightning spewed from it. He looked shocked at the revelation. But then everything came back to him. And in a flash he was knocked to his rear and sat taking in all in. Was he dead? No, couldn't be. He felt very much alive. But something was out of place. He recalled his fight with the dragon. The Dragon! This was the dragons doing! He roared in his clouded mind. He almost felt sick to his stomach. He felt his bare chest and felt the gaping hole in his abdomen. It was covered in a large circular scar the had rays coming from it like a drawing of the sun. I guess it was fitting for a fire dragon slayer to have a scar shaped like the sun. Wasn't it? He asked to himself. He shook the thought away and got back to his aching feet. He could still feel the energy of the strike coursing through his veins. He could feel the power in his gut. It was twisting around. It was still painful. Like a war in his body between lightning and fire.

The feeling of slight pricks all over his body didn't help much either. The path was hard to see as the air felt like it was going to swallow him up at any moment. He saw things in the mist that scared him. Faces would take a peek at him, and then fade away. People that he had seen. They were scowling and sobbing. He could only figure who these people were. Obviously of those he has misfortuned in the past, or worse in many cases. Then as he scampered on, the air got lighter and thinner. He felt a weight lifted from his shoulders as he saw a bright light ahead. The feeling of this place was just too creepy. He was eager to leave. But to the pinkete's surprise he walked into another dark room. This one however looked like an old ruins. There were hall and pillars made up of the blackness as he was still on the cloudy path. As he thought about it, Natsu realized he could not see his feet. He panicked and lifted his foot to see they were there, but that there was just a layer of mist hovering above the floor. Jeez, this place is getting to me. Natsu thought. The hall was long and dull, but led to a place that looked like a sanctuary. It had a high ceiling and had a hanging chandelier made of the blackness. From the distance Natsu heard a voice whisper out to him. "Hey, you finally came to see me." The voice said slowly in a twisted and maniacal manner. "Who are you." Natsu said calmly as he searched the room. But then the room started to shrink. Natsu tried to run out of the room but was stopped when the exits shut closed on him. He banged on the walls to let him though. However they did not heed the pleas and Natsu looked around as the room closed up on him. He was floating in the blackness and felt wet. All of a sudden he opened his eyes to reveal to himself that he was in some body of water. There was no structure in sight and the water above him looked to get only darker. But Natsu swam in hopes to find air. He swam up to find he was getting nowhere.

"Come on, you can figure it out." The voice whispered as Natsu was feeling a pain in his chest. He was trained to be able to go under the water for around ten minutes at a time. But he had to guess it had already been four minutes. The slayer then looked down and saw it was a lighter shade of blue. So against his better nature, he swam downward. The water was becoming more visible as he swam. But then something swam by his that made him loose his concentration and loose his breath. It was a huge creature that was swimming past him. It was some sort of serpent. Natsu however could not stay around to admire the sight as he lost his breath. He would pass if he could not get a breath very soon. He swam as fast as he could as the water got lighter. He was on the verge of passing out. And the end looked to be no where in site. How did he get down here? Where was he before? Natsu then saw his death as the serpent from only a minute ago was swimming right for him with focused eyes. Natsu's eyes widened as he tried to get away. But to no avail. The last thing he saw was the jaws of the beast swallowing him into the black.

Then after what seemed like an eternity, Natsu felt air whizzing past him and saw that it was very bright from through his eyelids. He opened them to see that he was falling. Natsu then started screaming aloud as he fell. The sight was like nothing he had ever seen. But he was still falling. He looked to be absolutely miles and miles in the sky. Because to him, he seemed to be plunging very slowly. Even though he knew that was not the case one bit. The sun was rising in a bright new dawn that made Natsu feel warm and fuzzy inside. It was a comforting light to say the least. He could see that he was falling toward and ocean of some sort which made him uneasy since what happened just moments ago. There was an island in the distance not to far off. And then he saw what he would never have thought he would see again. It was that damn dragon. It was soaring gracefully through the sky with dignity. The dragon flew toward Natsu at great speed. And for the second time he would land on this creature. Natsu finally safe and sound once again admired the grander of the beast. But how was this possible. He was not in the normal world that was for sure. No way. "It's okay Natsu, it normal that you would have questions." The same voice called to him as he again looked around. But once again there was nobody there. Natsu then decided for a second time to climb to the front of the dragon. For better or worse, he could not tell. He made it to the head of the dragon and then climbed down to the snout to once again look into the eyes of the dragon. "Who are you!" Natsu yelled out. Not knowing if the beast could hear him or not. However the scaled giant did not make a peep. Nor did it even look at the fire mage on it's snout. Natsu just huffed and crossed his arms. So that's how it was going to be. He thought to himself as he took a seat on the dragons nose. He looked forward to see that there was not any land for miles. The island he had seen before being in the opposite direction. But he was not worried. He was on a dragon. And it seemed as well that this beast didn't mind Natsu's company.

Natsu sighed as he road the beast for what seemed like at least a few hour. He was bored, but there was not really anything he could do at the moment. He did not want to upset the dragon as he remembers what happened last time. He wanted to know what was going on and who that voice was. He did not think it was the dragon though. This creature seemed collected and focused. It did not have time for petty games such as toying with people. But finally after the long hours of cutting the air. The scaled wyrm slowly descended to and island that had two small mountain. I mean, as mountains go. They were still large, but small compared to others. Natsu saw that there was a temple in between the two mountains. The structure was one of ancient dragon culture. A time when the dragons were the lords of the world. The white stone temple was in fairly good condition and had vines and plant life growing all throughout it's walls. It was like a hanging garden. Caught between two mountains on a place humans have never even seen before. The dragon flew inside a large opening in the roof and into the main sepulcher of the temple. As the wyrm landed to the ground of the moss covered stone, Natsu leaped off and saw that imbedded in the wall was an ornamental statue that was made of silver. It was quite ornate and in the shape of crescent that faced sideways atop the bottom half of a sun with rays coming from it. It had exquisite engravings that depicted scenes. The crescent side showed the pull of tides as well as storms, while the sun side shown two dragons in a dual of fire and lightning. Natsu walked over to the silver tablet and let his hand drag over the surface of it feeling the engraving marks. The idol was easily as tall as he was. He could feel like the tablet was telling him a story, some type of history. He would most definitely relish this moment. For even though he seemed dense. Natsu had a deep love of ancient history and learning of ancient culture and myth.

Natsu could see the history this thing told and he was mesmerized by it's beauty. Things like this were just meant to let sit. Not to be messed or trifled with. Natsu then grew curious and started to look around. This place must have more history on the dragon war! He thought to himself with glee. That was before he realized that the blueish white dragon was watching him carefully. Natsu looked at the dragon and saw he meant no harm. Natsu then felt a strange sense of harmony as he stood directly in the center of the temple as a glimmering golden light shown down and illuminated him. The glow was warm and he could feel his fire magic increasing with the suns rays. He then took a seat cross legged and closed his eyes in meditation. The dragon saw this and closed his eyes as well. For he was already in a meditating position. To anyone who would have walked in, It would have looked as if the two were sitting in silence. But they would have thought wrong.

* * *

Natsu opened his eyes and saw the two were in some sort of spirit form. Because they were sitting on a cloud that was a few miles above the temple. **"I see you finally understood."** The dragon said as his deep velvety voice beckoned. "I suppose I just felt as ease." Natsu said to the dragon. **"So ****what might I call you little dragonling."** The great beast said calmly. "I am Natsu Dragneel." The pinkete replied swiftly. **"Dragneel, you must mean Igneel."** The dragon bellowed. "Yes, he was the one who taught me my magic. So what is your name?" Natsu asked of the dragon. **"I was know once known by the name 'Niner the Wise'. But now I am known by no one."** Niner said as he explained further. **"You see, the world just got too small for an old drake like me."** Niner said with anguish in his eyes. "But what about the other dragons, where did they all go?" Natsu wanted to know the history of his kind. And this dragon might ne the one to fulfill his answers. **"That pup dragonling Acnologia thirsted for blood. For the blood of those that took what he loved."** "So he got revenge on the dragons, his own kind? Wait you said dragonling." Natsu put his hand to his chin in thought. "Wait! He was a human who was a dragon slayer!" Natsu shouted out. **"Yes, and those who stray down the path will soon find themselves consumed by there own power. However, there is a one way to forfeit the transformation." **Niner said to Natsu who was supremely curious. "What is it?" Natsu asked as Niner looked deep in thought. **"You would have to abandon that which you have come to rely on." **"My dragon slayer magic." Natsu said as he conjured a flame in his palm and then let it out. **"I'm afraid so."** "But there must be another way. Can't I just keep control of my other form?" Natsu said as he tried to piece it all together. **"Those who stray from who they are, never in the end find what makes them happy."** Niner said to the slayer. Damn it. Natsu thought. He wasn't getting anywhere.

"Can you tell me where we are." Natsu voiced **"We are in the sea to the south. Not much land mass here." **Niner finished in response. Okay, we are getting somewhere now. "Do you know how I can get back to Fiore?" Natsu said. He was going to try and get this big guy to take him back if possible. **"You are all ready there, all you need is a shove in the right direction." **Niner told the boy. Which caused him to put on a confused look. "Why were you in that town, what was your purpose?" This was something Natsu thought up as soon as he first saw Niner again. **"I was looking for something that I believed was once there. I remembered the place from long ago, but it was no longer there."** Niner said in a sorrowful tone. "What were you looking for?" **"It was a small human temple, the temple had an artifact similar to the one on this here wall." **Niner said as Natsu thought of the wall I the dragon temple. Then he realized something as he reach for the neckla… It was gone! The necklace he took from Erza was gone. "Niner, did you happen to pick up a necklace I was wearing?" Natsu said a little franticly. Niner could see the sudden change in tone. "It looked like a cross, but also a sword at the same time." Natsu sputtered out as he tried to describe it the best he could.** "No, but that was what I was looking for. I had felt a disturbance from the temple in the north and went to go collect the artifact."** Niner said as he then realized something. If the necklace was left in that town, It was probably found by the ones who were on the search for it. "What happened to the other temple?" Natsu was quiet intrigued by this. There was all this ancient dragon history that no one knew about. Or at least, no one remembered. **"There was a guardian there like me. He was an old friend and companion. He was... always too brash for his own good." **Niner ended with a sorrow his voice. Oh Fyjeron, If only you had learned from your dear old master. The dragon thought as he reminisced. "So he was killed, by who? What were they doing there? Natsu's brain was flying. He had so many questions for this dragon. He felt so lost by all this new found information. Did this have to do with the Baram Alliance? He was pulled from his thoughts by the dragons grumbling huff.

**"Quiet your mind dragonling and listen, the ebb and flow of the world is coming to a peak. As a sailor might think he knows his position finds himself lost. So does the world think it is on steady footing. Only to be knocked from it's pedestal." **Natsu understood and nodded. But what was he to do? He was only one man. How could he fix everything? These questions spiraled in his mind. But then Natsu tried to narrow it all down. He was a mage of Grimoire Heart. He was going under cover in the guild Fairy tail until the time was right. This was what he was most certain off. Natsu then tried to find what mattered most for him at the present moment. "Why are you not attacking me like you did before." He wanted to know why Niner seemed to not mind his company. In fact. Natsu would say that this dragon enjoyed it. **"Petty things. Nothing that should be held onto."** Natsu admired this dragons wisdom. It was no wonder he was called the wise. He liked that Niner's answers were straight forward and direct. It told you about someone's character. Or I suppose something's. "Do you believe in fate?" Natsu asked the wise being. **"I believe that as a tree grows tall and thick, so does a man choose this tree to harvest. And whether the tree lands on him or not, you can never tell." **The dragon riddler said as Natsu frowned. He had a point. "Are you saying that you may choose a path, but whether that path is correct is not determined. But then you really don't have a choice anyway." Natsu thought as he blurted out. Niner smiled to the best of his ability. With him being a dragon and all. **"A man may choose his path, but never predict it's forthcomings. But then again. There are some that supersede these laws." **Niner said. Natsu then turned and thought a moment before his face brightened up. "I want to say I'm sorry for attacking you, but about that." Natsu paused. He thought a moment more. "I still feel your energy coursing through me. The tingle at my fingertips. Do you think you can teach me about you magic?" Natsu said finally getting to the point of what he wanted to ask.

Niner looked at Natsu with an intense gaze. But it was not one of irritation. No, most definitely not. It was a look of uncertainty. A look of caution. A look of sadness almost. If you could look deep behind the layers of his eyes. You could see it. right there. Clear as day. **"What is lightning dragonling." **Niner stated more than asked. "Its like fire, but different. It comes from the clouds." Natsu said. In all honesty he would say that he did not really no the answer to that question. In terms of magic he could tell. It was a off shoot of fire in some way or another. **"Lightning is raw energy, created by negative and positive etherion particles. You see, when these particles interact it creates a reaction. And thus creating lightning. But do not mistake. It is nothing like fire." **Niner said almost forebodingly. But then he continued on as Natsu sat and listened carefully. **"Fire is living and breathing, it's source is your breath. As you breath in and out, you can feel the fluctuation. Lightning is a cold yet enlightened thing. It takes a certain peace of mind and body to produce. And if you are unwary, it can also take what little you hold in your possession."** Niner ended as Natsu nodded, while most would be bored. He understood this method. This is how Hades handled him as well. However, Hades mainly taught Natsu on other things. Although, he did happen apon some dragon slaying tomes one time. **"Now young dragonling, stand and show me what you have learned.** **Starting with fire. Remember, the breath is your strength."** "Understood." Natsu did as he was told and got up. Some how, Natsu had never figured that fire was from the breath. He had always just used his strength and determination to conjure his flames.

Natsu closed his eyes and took a deep breath. In, and out. And then another. In, and out. One last time he did this. In, and out. Then he opened his eyes and puffed his cheeks. He the breathed out an inferno. Without even having to name out the spell. The spell was not the usual red and orange flame. It was a bright yellow with a tinge of white and orange. His flame felt immensely hotter than if ever had before. And it was release so smooth like. He could feel the flow of the fire as it waxed and waned with every breath. He could feel the radiated heat of the sun. He felt like he had never felt such a comforting warmth in his body nor a sweeter song in his soul. He then with an open fist released fire form his palm and not from a clenched fist like he had always done before. He was renewed. Revitalized like he could never dream. And he understood the meaning, the true meaning of fire. Niner saw the look of joy in Natsu's eyes as he played with his new found discovery. Nut then he huffed and caught the attention of the pinkete. **"I do not control fire myself, but I knew a great serpent that could breath fire of all the colors of the rainbow. He was a great wyrm from the south like me. He was known as 'Ranshaw of the flame'. But he was killed long ago in the dragon war." **Niner said. Natsu could hear the unease in his voice as he spoke of this Ranshaw. There was a pain as he spoke. "Now what about lightning?" Natsu asked. He could tell that this was the dragon to ask in that subject. It was obvious to him that Niner was foremost authority when it came to lightning dragon magic. But something told Natsu that Niner would be unwilling. He just had a gut feeling about it.

**"Your eagerness if natural dragonling, but heed these words." **Niner said as he waited for Natsu to look full alert. **"Not all that drink from the pool are able to quench their thirst." **Niner spoke softly as a dragon could as Natsu thought of the words and what they meant. **"But."** Natsu was surprised and widened his eyes. He had not expected more of this riddle. **"Thirst is merely an allusion that reflects longing. And should be taken with a grain of salt."** Niner said. Natsu then thought how the dragon seemed to be contradicting himself. As if, he was really leaving it up to me to decide. Natsu then asked something important of the dragon. And important to his fate. "What happens to the ones who drank too much?" He asked picking up on the metaphor at play. **"Hmmm."** Niner hummed in thought a moment before the words flashed in his old head. **"As you push on magic, so does magic push back. It always finds a breaking point."** Niner said in finality. Natsu heard this and was almost a little stunned. The way he said it made it seem as if it was inevitable. That there was no way around it. No way to fix a broken damn. "How would I dispose of 'It', if I pleased." Natsu said questioningly. He looked with uncertain eyes. He had a hard decision, and he needed time. **"You would need only ask."** Niner said promptly. "I want some time to think." Natsu said to the beast. The pinkete stood and looked down from where the two were on the cloud high above the temple and focused on retuning. But right before he did Niner spoke out. **"You have all the time in the world."** He said in an almost sinister tone.

* * *

Natsu opened his eyes and was once again in the temple sanctuary. Niner was across from him but made not a sound. Natsu exited the temple and walked up a stone path that lead up the mountain. It was for humans which confused the slayer greatly, but he just continued on. He made his way all the way to a pond that was surrounded by green grass and had trees surrounding the small clearing. Natsu then took a cross legged seat at the edge of the pond and saw his reflection. "Hello Natsu." The reflection said to him. Natsu jumped at this as his reflection in the water was not following his movement. "Who the hell are you!" Natsu shouted out. "I'm you, of course" The reflection said and laughed out. "Don't you recognize me." The reflection said. "I guess you could say I'm your other half." The vision said. "What should I call you other me." Natsu said as he calmed down a bit. "Natsu, what else." The voice said. But then the reflection came walking out of the water and stood above Natsu who crawled back a bit at the sight. But the Other stood back and jump across the pond and sat. "So, how do you want to do this." The Other said. "Do what?" Natsu asked. "Settle the dispute, you know the one." The Other said in a calm yet boundlessly energetic voice. "I don't know. On one hand, I could bring in a new power, but I think I would loose something of myself that I find important." Natsu explained. "Is that so, or are you just making excuses so you don't have to work harder." The other said harshly. "Are you just going lo let it go." The Other stood and appeared in right in front of Natsu who also stood up. The other disappeared again and appeared behind Natsu and whispered in his ear. "Are you just going to give up like you gave up on Igneel?" The Other toyed with Natsu's weaknesses. And his father was one of those. "You bastard!" Natsu tried to swiftly jab the Other Natsu but to no avail. The Other had reappeared to his other side. "I think your scared to try something new, because you know you'll forever be the same." "Shut the hell up!" Natsu was letting this guy get to him, and it was working quiet nicely. "You'll always be Natsu the slayer, and nothing more. You can never change who you are. A cold blooded murderer. And you need that power. You crave it. It's the next step." The other said as he walked circles around the pinkete. "I won't listen to you." You not really me. Natsu said trying to calm himself. "But that's the difference, I am more of you than you know. I'm the real you." The Other said with a wicked grin. The Other laughed and grinned. Laughed and grinned. Natsu kept his eyes on the Other as he walked circles around him. Round and round. Round and round.

"I am Natsu, and you are not me. I know who I am." Natsu said with certainty in his voice. "You are, nothing without me. You would be dead!" The Other screamed at him with a shrill voice that would make any normal person shrivel up. What did he mean by that. How would he have died. He could not be certain. "How would I die?" Natsu asked. "You wouldn't know, because we were brought together long ago. To long for even me to recall. But I know that our joining saved us." The voice was that of some psychotic psychopath. And it would make men quiver and sway. But Natsu was not your average man. He had seen the dark places in the world. And he has had to face the extreme before. "You speak nothing but lies, your a madman." Natsu said with glaring eyes but then the Other said something that made him shiver down to the bone. "How could I lie when I look to the fountain of truth." The other grinned insanely as he looked to the pond. Natsu looked and saw himself and the Other being reflected. The Other had his arm on Natsu's shoulder as he leaned on Natsu with his madman's grin. "See, see. I speak only truth. Even if it's a twisted truth." Natsu stared in shock. He grabbed his head with both hands and covered his ears and closed his eyes. This was all a dream, this was all a horrible, horrible, horrible dream.

"Boo!" The Other whispered into Natsu's ear and Natsu was shocked back. He was still there. At the pond. Standing with the Other. "But I know what would comfort you. Something you say intrigues you. But really, you lie to your own emotions." The Other said. "You lust, a young lust. You would see it that she obeys. That she would want it. But you made her. You didn't give her the choice." The other swooped around and slowly breathed out in Natsu's left ear. Natsu was stuck, frozen in fear. He was petrified. Mortified. Nothing could describe the thumping in his chest. It was getting louder with every beat. Don't say it. Don't say it. Natsu pleaded in his mind. "You made the choice for her." The Other finally whispered and an insane grin plastered it's face. Natsu dropped to his knees. What was wrong. It was all lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. "Don't you see, your nothing. Your a stranger in your home. Lost in the place you hold dear. But don't worry. If you just come with me." The Other paused and leaned down. He got real close to Natsu face. He could feel his own breath on his face. "We could be together forever." The Other said. The grin still ever present. Then cogs in Natsu's mind were turning. Together, that sounds nice. What the hell are you thinking! You can't let this bastard control you! He's not you! Don't give in Natsu! The voice in Natsu's head was screaming as the Other scowled. "Don't listen, come with me." The Other grabbed Natsu's face with his hands and held his face mere inches from his own. NO! Natsu's mind roared. Then Natsu got up from his knees and stood strong and with determined and calculated eyes. "I will never listen to you! I am Natsu Dragneel! Son of Igneel!" Natsu roared and blew out of his mouth fire that was yellow, green, blue, purple, orange, red, and white. The Fire of a rainbow. The flames of a true master over fire. The flames of a free soul. And the flames of peace and justice. The flames of good and evil. The flames of life and death. "I am a free man that bends to no one!" Natsu roar out and punched the Other and rainbow flames came out of his fist as well. The Other started to fade away in the light. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!" The other said with a gut retching squeal as he dissipated.

Natsu then let the white light flood over him as he felt a peaceful and tranquil feeling wash over him as he smiled for the future.

* * *

Natsu opened his eyes to see he was back at the pond surrounded with green grass and trees. He let out a sigh and smiled bright. "Ahhh." He said aloud as he laid back on the grass and enjoyed the sun and the slight breeze. He could stay here forever for all he cared. This place was paradise. But he knew that he would have to leave eventually. For no one, not even a king could have no bad days. But this was a good day Natsu thought. It was a day a great realization. Of great sensibility. He felt at peace with his body and mind for maybe the first time in his life. And he couldn't be happier. There were just a few things I life he knew at the moment. I am Natsu Dragneel, son of Igneel. I am a mage of Grimoire Heart. I am under cover at Fairy tail until the time is right. And I have a special someone. Natsu said these things in his head to remind himself that he had goal and missions in life. But sometimes you just have to focus on what's right in front of you.

Natsu walked down the path after an hour had passed. Some how it still looked like it was dawn even though Natsu knew the time had passed significantly. He walked into the temple with a certain swagger about him that put a pep in his step. The main room still held Niner as he breathed in and out slowly. Natsu did not even have to look at the dragon to feel the overwhelming sense of self coming from the dragon. So once again Natsu had took a seat in a cross legged fashion and meditated. Eventually he could feel that he felt different. And so when he opened his eyes. He was back on the cloud above the temple. Natsu waited for Niner to start as he had the last time. And so after a minute of content silence. He spoke. **"Young dragonling, you are one who walks a free man. You have drank from the pool, and you have quenched your thirst."** Niner said brightly to Natsu as the pinkete grinned warmly. "It was thanks to your boundless guidance that I have come this far. I can never repay you for what you have done." Natsu said with a content smile blooming on his face. **"Now for the question. Are you ready." **Niner said in anticipation. "Yes Niner, I'm ready." Natsu said calmly as Niner told his tale. **"Two serpents one red one white. Find each other by chance one night. They scorch and they burned in the cool moon light. As the two dance without a care in sight. They were shot down by the cannons because of their fright. two serpents found each other one red one white."** Niner said as Natsu tried to decipher the last riddle. "The dragons struck a balance, but the world rejected them anyway." Natsu said as Niner listened. "The world is cruel, and unforgiving. But in the end, it's all at peace." Natsu said to Niner who gave him a curious look. But then Natsu looked at Niner with a grin when he laughed. **"Ahhahhaha." **Niner laughed. **"You are okay Dragonling, your okay. That was just something I came up with on the spot, but you still found an answer in your own way."** Niner grinned as Natsu smirked back. "I think I'm ready." Natsu said to Niner as the dragon nodded. **"Stay still."** Niner said and Natsu obeyed. He was cross legged with his fists together and closed his eyes. Niner brought one dragon claw up and touched Natsu's forehead. Natsu could see in a flash everything. It was like a dream. He understood. Natsu opened his eyes and stood up. He put his middle and index fingers from his right hand together and closed the rest of his fingers. While he then stepped his right foot forward.

He breathed in and out and shot his arm forward releasing a crackling bolt of blue lightning and his two fingertips. He smiled with glee as his middle and index fingers smoked like a gun. He then stood at attention and turned to Niner. He bowed his head with respect to his teacher and then looked him in the eyes. "Thank you wise one for your time." Natsu said as Niner bowed his head as well and everything turned to white for Natsu Dragneel.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Man that what a fun chapter for me. So far this is my favorite chapter. And I feel its one of the best Ive written. A completely Original chapter. Anyway I hoped you enjoyed. Don't forget to leave a comment on what you thought of the chapter.**

**This chapter was shorter because it was an inter-missionary chapter.**

**Have a great day and be prepared for chapter 9! **


	9. Ramble On

**I do not own Fairy tail, that belongs solely to Hiro Mashima.**

**Hey guys, welcome back to the next chapter. Hope you are enjoying the quicker updates. I myself have started to write at the least 2 thousand words a day or more so I can keep a fairly consistent update period between chapters. Anyway.**

**Feel free to leave comments on what you thought of this chapter. I try my best to write better and better chapters for you guys. But you can help me by giving me critics and criticism. But that's enough out of me, you've come here for something other than my ramblings. You came for some sweet Natsu action.**

**Enjoy the story!**

* * *

Chapter 9 : Ramble On

August 20, X784, Magnolia, One month later.

There was a fragrant scent in the air as Natsu stirred from his deep sleep. His vision was blurred and his senses dulled. He was unsure where exactly he was. But all he could focus on was the smell encasing the room. He breathed in and out and felt the rising and falling in his lungs. Taking in as much of the smell as he could. Then he realized that the smell had been a plate of food. It was sitting on the bedtable next to him. Was this his? Natsu thought as he looked around the room he was currently staying in.

He then swung his feet over the side of the bed as his eyes finally cleared all the way. They revealed that he was in some sort of infirmary. There were a few other beds that were in the row. Grunting, Natsu stood to his feet and he stretched out his arms and chest. He felt very stiff and would need to do some exercises to bring his body back to peak condition. He also noticed that he had lost some weight. He looked thinner. But he was still packed to the brim with muscle. If he had to guess. He would say he lost only ten or so pounds. But then he heard a sound that made him uneasy.

His stomach growled and he put a hand to it. He would love to get a meal right now. Natsu looked over to the plate and then sought out to eat it. He quickly shoveled the food down with a fork that he had seen next to the food. He usually ate with reasonably good manners as Hades had shown him. But he felt like he had not eaten in forever. Natsu set down the plate and then felt his chest where he was shot. Scar tissue had completely covered the area and it felt rough. But it was also soothing to know he had pulled through. Even if he had no idea how he had survived.

Natsu finally decided to venture from his room. He walked through the single door that led to a hallway. Natsu could hear the rowdy banter of the guild as he walked closer to what he perceived to be the main hall. He made it to the end and stared into a massive brawl that was taking place. A chair flew toward Natsu but narrowly missed him as he stood wide-eyed at the complete sense of chaos that was this guild. He let himself smirk before hiding it. Deciding to walk into the middle of the fight, Natsu seemingly brought the whole thing to a standstill as everyone stared at him like he was a walking corpse.

"Natsu awake!." Many in the guild shout out as everyone turned their attention to the pink-haired slayer. "Yo, flame brain. Finally decided to wake up from your nap." Gray said with a smirk that only expressed relief. Gray would not admit. But he too was worried for the slayer. "Natsu!" Lucy screamed as she ran up and hugged him to death. "You really gave us all a scare," Lucy said as she smiled brightly. "So how do you feel?" She said as she pulled out of contact with Natsu.

"Honestly." Natsu started. Everyone was listening intently by now. "I've never felt better. I feel, at peace." Natsu said with a smile that was definitely quirky. And as far as everyone had known the slayer. This was uncharacteristic of Natsu. He breathed out and returned to his usual self. "Of course you would say that," Gray said as many people laughed. But then everyone started to crowd around him and was asking questions.

"How was it like to fight the dragon?" One said. "Did the dragon give you that scar?" Another one shouted. "Oh wow, you fought a dragon. The third voice said. But then a voice cried out. It was stern and booming. It was none other than master Makarov. "Everyone! Leave the boy be! He has just woken up and needs his space!" The master shouted out. "Yes please, I'll answer questions in time," Natsu said to the disappointment of many. He walked over to the bar as some people began to go back to there own business. "So my boy, you said you feel well. That's good." The master said in a calming voice.

"Yes, I feel very refreshed. But I have some questions." Natsu said as the master nodded in understanding. "Here, let's go to my office and talk in private," Makarov said as he took a last swig of ale before jumping from the bar and walking to the stairs to the second floor. Natsu followed behind closely as they ventured. They walked past a board that had a handful of jobs tacked to it. Natsu stopped to look at what was present. He could see that these jobs would be far more worth his time. but before he could look any further, Makarov coughed out and looked at Natsu. Natsu sighed a bit as he continued into the room and took a seat. Makarov then closed the door and sat in his chair. He looked to have a more serious face now than when he took a seat. "So, tell me what exactly happened on your mission to Cape town?" Makarov asked.

Natsu thought a moment longer and then he started his assessment. Makarov listened intently on the report. "I had picked the request from the downstairs request board expected a small monster that was plaguing the town. It should have been a breeze." Natsu said. He had come to terms with what happened by now. But there was still one thing that he wanted to do. However, he continued his tale. "There had been some curious things about the description that had struck me as odd. But I paid no mind to it. The town was for the moment under lock and key. Everyone was already in their homes before sunset." Natsu said. "The mayor had been a curious little man, and he was holding something from us. But as night came the stormed rolled in and we all saw the shadow of the beast."

Natsu continued. "It was a huge dragon even by the standards of one. He was about two hundred foot long and stood a ninety tall. He was quite magnificent." Natsu said thinking back. Makarov perked up at this. This dragon was truly a beast. It made him only wonder at the strength this boy possessed. To have fought a dragon. Natsu continued. "I ended up telling the other to not help me fight the dragon. They would have gotten hurt worse than I." Natsu said as he noticed he was still without a shirt. And that his scar was showing quite clearly. "In the end, the dragon shot me with a bolt of supercharged lightning." Wait. Natsu thought. How long was I out? My wound looked healed to a degree. Makarov could see that the boy had questions of his own.

"Makarov," Natsu said. The master then and there recalled that this boy had never really referred to him by his name much. So this was a nice change of pace. "How long was I out?" Natsu said grabbing at his pink locks to feel that they were indeed longer than when he left this world. "You were being taken care of by Porlyusica for an entire week. But afterward, you were moved to the infirmary here in the guild. You have slept here for another three." The elder master ended as he saw the wide-eyed boy's expression of shock. "A whole month, damn." Natsu thought. That was one hell of a trip he went on if it lasted an entire month. He thought to himself.

"So, how did Erza, Gray and Lucy fair while I was down?" The slayer questioned. They must have been worried. Even if they were still on shaky ground with him. "They were fine for the most part. They helped to take care of you with Mira." Makarov grinned. They had all come so far in this short matter of time. They had forgiven this boy, Makarov thought. "But you should really thank Mira," Makarov said to the pinkete. He made a questioned look.

"She took care of you the most during your healing process here. She even volunteered to change your clothes for you." The master said as Natsu made an almost comical look on his face. Natsu remembered things well. And he had not forgotten that other side to Mira. Her devious side. He could only imagine why she would volunteer. But the slayer was snapped out of his thoughts my Makarov's stern next words.

"Natsu. There is something important I must tell you. Since your mission, the council has come, and they performed a guild wide interrogation over what happened with the Phantom lord." Makarov said as he looked to the nodding pinkete. "We told them that you had sustained injuries on a mission. But that's not important." The elder said in a serious tone. But that was the least of the boy's worries. Makarov thought. The counsel always had a way with prying. And boy did they pry. They wanted to know who this new person to the guild was. For it was not every day a man that could challenge Jose just joined a guild. Nor one that could face up to a dragon.

"The council finds you to be a suspicious character my boy. It was not every day that mages of your caliber walk in to join a guild." Makarov said as Natsu thought of it as a compliment. "They want you to go in for questioning about the events in Cape Town. They don't like surprises like this to spring up. So I urge you to play on your best instincts so you don't end up with some bloody sentence." Makarov spoke as to tell that Natsu was already guilty. Natsu understood the circumstance. He understood better than Makarov what was at stake here. But he also thought that this might just be Ultear trying to contact him. He then realized he had not contacted master Hades in a long while. Damn it. Being out can suck. You miss so many things.

"I understand completely," Natsu said as Makarov put a grin on his face and nodded. "I'm sure you will turn out fine." Makarov conveyed to comfort the pink-haired slayer. "I'll contact the council and they will probably send someone to fetch you in a few days. So be ready." With that ended. Natsu stood and opened the office door and turned to the master quick. "Thank you for this talk. It's been most informative." Natsu said swiftly. But before he closed the door Makarov threw something to Natsu. It was a new shirt. Just like his old one. A tight black sleeveless combat shirt, and you could see the lines of Natsu's abs. "Thanks," Natsu said as he headed for the staircase.

But before he went down he heard a light chuckle. "So you got your ass handed to you by some lizard." Laxus connived, he wanted to get a reaction. "Yes, a large storm lizard that floated in on pixie wings and spread joy," Natsu said with a sarcastic smirk as he left the aggravated Laxus sitting in his chair. "Damn punk." Laxus thought as he continued to drink from his mug.

Natsu descended the staircase and once again sat at the bar. He then noticed the drunken bar bum staring at him with a hunger in her eyes. He knew what it was. And she did too. But he would not address it. "Hey big boy, looks like those muscles could use some warming." Cana belligerently spoke. She was very drunk at the moment which seemed unusual for someone who seemed to never go passed a slight buzz. "Leave off Cana, I'm sure Natsu isn't up for any," Mira said to the blushing drunk as she grumbled some enchanted words that were inaudible and looked to her cards.

But what Mira did not know was Natsu took great offense to this comment. Mira soon saw the way Natsu was looking at her and put a puzzled face on. Natsu stood up in a flash and scolded. "I'll have you know that I could do 'it' right now and whenever I wanted to," Natsu said as he then saw the looks he got from everyone. Some were a little shocked by this outburst while others put on curious smiles, they told that this was interesting, to say the least. Mira giggled at this and it turned into a laugh.

"Sorry, Natsu." She said through laughs. "I didn't mean to insult your manhood." She laughed as many others laughed. Even Natsu was a little embarrassed but decided to not lower his bravado and just went with it. "You better be sorry, I don't take kindly to people who underestimate me." Natsu finally said as there was a roar of laughter by many in the guild. It was common knowledge by now that Natsu was not talking about the strength of fighting if you know what I mean.

Gray walked over and patted Natsu's shoulder who tuned abruptly and looked to the raven-haired mage. "At least we know now that you are sensitive about it." Gray laughed as Natsu glared at him. But then Gray mentally cursed as he saw Natsu's fist headed for his right eye. This time Gray was not knocked out, but he could feel the pain of his eye. "Damn it you fire prick. My other eye had just healed." Gray complained as the guild let out another round of laughter. But then everyone went silent as a familiar redhaired mage entered the guild from the doors. "It's Erza!" Someone in the back screamed out as everyone except Natsu had suddenly behaved like it was grade school.

"Relax everyone, It's just me," Erza said as she intently eyed the fire mage. Everyone nearly died at the irony of this comment. What does she mean? She's always onto us about everything. They thought in unison. But just like before the guild had gone back to its business.

Erza walked up to the pinkete and hugged him like he was her favorite piece of cheesecake. "You lived after all." Erza thought of a joke to tell. But this would not be an appropriate time for such a thing. Natsu, however, did not give back the intensity of the hug. He only caressed the back of her plate armor with one hand instead of two. But the message was clear enough and Erza let go of the slayer. "You feel alright?" Erza asked. Natsu remembered that she was not here and would have to answer some questions again. But he was glad she just arrived. Because he would not have wanted her to hear the bit about his manhood. He did not think it would sit right with Erza. Or maybe it was him that it did not feel right. But now was not the time for a philosophy lesson.

Then Natsu and Erza sat at a free table. They were accompanied by Lucy and Gray as well. "Gray. Didn't your eye just finish healing up?" Erza asked as Natsu laughed to himself. Erza practically understood immediately what had happened. "So you two fought again. You should learn to get along." Erza said with a glare that made Lucy and Gray pale. Natsu sat amused at Erza's talent for fright. Oh boy, this would be an odd team. The four each were different in a unique way. But it made it work. For the most part.

"So Natsu. You feel up to another job?" Erza said which made Natsu smirk. He laughed out. "Ha, I'd sooner see that I return to my coma," Natsu said and laughed out. Gray laughed as well. "But in all seriousness. I feel apt. Let's just pick a quick one. Makarov said that a person from the council will come in a few days for me." Natsu conferred as Erza gave a thoughtful look. "The council did want you for questioning, didn't they?" Erza questioned out loud. "Well then, who wants to pick it?" Erza stated and Gray stood up from the table. "Don't worry, I'll choose a good job this time," Gray said in spite of Natsu. Natsu gave a sneering look and flipped off Gray as he walked to the request board.

"What have you all been up to during my trip," Natsu said as Erza noticed the way he said trip. An odd word to put there. Wasn't it. Never mind. "Well, we have been going on minor missions. Nothing over the top except for one. The mission was to take care of a beast infestation. But this time it was actual beasts." Erza said as she picked up a cup of tea she had been drinking and took another sip. "You know, it's just my luck that the very first mission I go on. We find a dragon." Natsu said as he grumbled. By the gods, it was his accursed luck. But before they could continue any further. Gray walked back over. A bruise was starting to form around his right eye and he was going to kick Natsu's ass when he got the chance to. Gray slammed down the request and it was a fairly simple and straight forward one. Natsu sighed. This day would be quite boring he thought.

And just his luck, he was right.

* * *

Natsu could only grumble in pain as the team was riding the train back to Magnolia. The job was boring. And Natsu ended up killing only a few of the beasts while Erza and Gray killed most of them. This damnable train could go fuck itself for all he cared. He hated it. But he would have to endure a while longer. "Are you alright?" Erza prodded. Natsu looked at her with a grimace that told he wanted to smack her upside the head. "You know full well I'm not fine." Natsu hissed as Erza just sat back a little irked. She crossed her arms and spoke. "Fine, If you're going to act like that." Erza griped at the pink-haired slayer.

"Fuucckk." Natsu groaned as he held his stomach as Lucy watched. She felt bad but, there was nothing she could do for him. "You know you really shouldn't curse like that. It's not polite." Erza scolded as Natsu turned his head. He looked at her a moment before saying. "Fucking asshole son of a bitch! Motherfucking cock sucking whore!" Natsu yelled out as Gray and Lucy turned pale. He did not. Gray thought. No way. Lucy said to herself.

Erza had steam puffing out of her ears as she turned red in the face like a blushing tomato. However, she was not red from embarrassment. Oh hell no.

Erza was going to fucking beat him. She stood up from the booth and proceeded to punch Natsu in the chest and gut. Natsu blocked most of her punches with his forearms. Jesus, she was crazy. Natsu thought. "Natsu you bastard! I told you not to!" Erza hollered at the pinkete. She threw a left jab and he blocked her punch and then kicked her in the leg making her fall onto him. "Eeeek! Natsu!" Erza cried as she fell headfirst onto his shoulder. He was holding her arms. Natsu would not say it. But the little scream she produced was the cutest thing he has ever heard.

"Damn it Natsu." She said as he let go of her. She was all puffed up and red. But then she calmed herself. She then glared at him. "I swear if you pull something like that again. I'm going to cut your tongue." She threatened as Gray and Lucy were still in shock. "Fine." Natsu had said as he remembered about his aching gut.

The train finally stationed and Natsu practically flew off the train. Or rather, he jumped out the window. He went and found out the nearest trash-bin and continued to vomit. He then went and found the others as they walked to the restored guildhall. After the Phantom lord incident. The guild was still standing. And they had managed to repair it to its original glory in a few weeks. The guild was filled with laughter and drinking as usual. And the team sat at the table closest to the door. "I see you guys are back, how was it?" Mira cheerfully said. "It went well," Erza said with a slight smile.

Erza then walked over to Mira and they began to chat. "You seem a little upset, what's wrong?" Mira questions the redhead as she sat at the bar. "Oh, just Natsu. He always finds a way to get on my nerves. First, he doesn't help with the mission. Then he was cursing on the train so I told him to stop." Erza rambled as Mira put her elbows on the bar and held up her head in her palms. She would be here a while. Mira thought. " And I couldn't believe what he had said." Erza leaned over the counter and spoke into Mira's ear. Mira's eyes widened as she giggled. Maybe Erza didn't know. But it was clear that Natsu was just messing with Erza and she took it seriously. "Wow, that's so bad," Mira said with a tone of sarcasm that was missed by Erza. Mira looked to Natsu who had been listening due to his keen senses. She smiled at him as he gave her a slight grin.

But then the guild doors swung open and in came a few Rune knights led by some man with a white coat adorned on him. "If anyone can point me in the direction of the man named Dragneel, I would be much obliged." The man said. Natsu was a little peeved by this man already. The way he had pronounced his name was all wrong. He had said 'nel' and not 'neel' which irked Natsu. But Natsu just decided to forget what the man had said and stood up. "That would be me." Natsu said as he walked closer to the man.

"Perfect, if you could follow me to the carriage. We can be on our way to Era." The squad leader said as he turned on his heel and started to leave the building. But he was stopped by Natsu. "Excuse me but, is there a way we could travel without the carriage." Natsu almost commanded as the man looked at him like he was absolutely out of his mind. But then the squad leader regained his composure and stated. "Not a chance, that would put us far behind schedule." The man announced.

Erza couldn't help but laugh a little at this. Natsu looked at her with a glare and then faced back to the officer. "Fine, so be it," Nats said as he trudged toward the carriage.

The carriage slowly disappeared in the distance with a grumbling Natsu.

* * *

August 22, X784, Era

The carriage made a stop at the bottom of what seemed to be the largest and most pointless staircase Natsu had ever seen. The small squad of four escorted the slayer to the top when he was taken by two different guards. They wore a white armor that was ornate and flawless in nature. They were the guardians of the counsel. The hall was white marble with large murals on the ceilings. They took him to a staircase that spiraled up two floors to a hallway. The guardians told him to enter the second door on the right. He entered a room to find an oh so familiar woman.

"Oh, it's you," Natsu said with a sneer. He was not expecting her, nor was he exactly happy to see her either. "Is that how you greet all your friends?" She said with an almost seductive smile. She put on a pouty face for a second. "You were that last person I thought I would see." He said. Ultear looked a little peeved by this, however she removed the thought from her head. "Well, I'm not going to sugar coat it." She said with a more serious tone. Natsu perked up, he knew what was coming. "The master is not happy that you were M.I.A for a month." Ultear said leaning back in her chair.

"There were unpredictable circumstances, I was." Natsu paused as he thought threw the ordeal. Ultear waited with much interest. Natsu was never one to get bogged down. He was a perfect dark wizard. He was emotionless, stern, and insanely brave. SO whatever it was, it had to be bad. Ultear thought.

Natsu continued and spoke. "Incapacitated," Natsu said as he looked with emotionless eyes. His face was blank as he was taught to. "Really!?" Ultear almost yelled as the guards scrambled to the door. They opened the door and questioned. "Are you alright counsel woman Ultear?" The guard spoke out. Ultear put on a fierce glare on the guard. "I specifically told you not to interrupt! Go and wait at the end of the hall like you were told!" Ultear yelled out as the guard closed the door and scampered back to his place at the hall entrance.

"Sorry about that imbecile. Anyway. Who could have put you down?" Ultear said deliberately. Natsu's eyes squinted slightly as he stated. "It was not who, but what took me down," Natsu said to the raven-haired woman. She was very interested now. It was a beast of some sort. How interesting. "What was it Natsu? You have to tell me." She verbalized with a cross of her legs. She leaned forward and crossed her finger together as a villain would. "It was a dragon I fought," Natsu said. He thought that Ultear was going to fall out of her seat. He was sure but to his disappointment. She stayed perched. Ultear regained her posture and then questioned. "You fought one?" Ultear asked with an upturn in her voice at the last word.

"Yes, like I said already." Natsu didn't like to repeat himself. But he could make an exception to her I guess. Natsu thought. He then proceeded to tell her about the encounter. "I went on a mission with three other mages to slay a monster. But when we got to finding it, we had an easy time." Natsu said with a slight grin on his face. "So I assume it was a fairly large dragon," Ultear said as Natsu looked at her with a rigged look. "Large would be an understatement. This dragon was at least two hundred feet in length." Natsu said as Ultear put a hand to her chin. She had read in ancient books that told of legendarily large dragons. But this was pretty huge even in comparison. "So what happened?" Ultear said with a curious expression. She had never met anyone who had lived after a dragon attack.

"It lasted only a few minutes. But I got one good hit in. That is before the beast shot me with a giant bolt of lightning from its mouth." Natsu said as he started to lift his shirt. Ultear liked Natsu's chest. It was toned. That was until she saw that gapping scar on his left peck. She covered her mouth with one hand. This scar looked bad. It was in the shaped of a sun. A circle with rays coming from it. "Damn." Ultear finally said.

"I'm surprised that even you lived from that," Ultear said as the shock dissipated. Natsu put his shirt back down to the disappointment of Ultear. "Will you relay this to the master. Tell him I was in stasis for a month." Natsu then walked out of the room as he heard Ultear say.

"Fine, but next time you owe me," Ultear said with a smirk. Ultear sat a moment longer as she thought. He was different. She did not know-how. But he felt different than before. It was a pristine feeling being around him. What happened to him when he was out. Ultear thought.

* * *

As Natsu walked back over to the guards at the hallway he spoke. "I am done with counsel woman Ultear." He spoke. It was funny to him to say that. He would never be able to take her position here seriously. But then the guard responded. "Come this way please sir." Natsu had a guard at his twelve and his six. But he did not mind. It was merely part of the formality of being at the council headquarters. The room was dim as it was lit only by the light of the sun and a single chandelier at the center of the ceiling. The counselors were in an elevated booth of marble. But it was not like the trial room. This room was smaller. The booth they were on was far shorter. But just enough to give them authority.

There was a small table with a chair in the center under the chandelier and Nates took a seat. They were right, Natsu thought. This is like an interrogation.

"Leave us." Gran Doma boomed out as the guards left the room and shut the doors. "Welcome Dragneel, we were expecting you in ten minutes. But it never hurts to be early." Gran Doma said as he gained a few nods from the council members. "Now, we are here today because of two incidents. One in Magnolia town. And the other in Cape town." The council chairman spoke softly. Natsu could predict how this was going to go. "But what we want to know is..." Gran Doma paused a second. "Who you really are." He finished. Natsu was going to enjoy this oh so much. He looked to the counselors with an irritated expression which went unnoticed, except for Gram Doma.

Then Sage Org spoke up. "We have heard some distressing reports on you in the recent past. So Dragneel. What would a powerful mage like yourself want to do with fairy tail? Sage Org ended. Natsu then thought a moment. This could be a trick question. Or it could be straight forward. He made his mind and answered.

"I had heard tales of a strong guild by the name of Fairy tail in Fiore. And so I wanted to join." The answer was simple enough, but some of the counselors did not look convinced. "Fine. Then tell us your thoughts on what happened with the encounter with the phantom lord. Your guild members say you helped to fight." counselor Belno questioned the pink-haired mage.

"The first attack was during the night and there had been large iron rods that were placed throughout the guild's structure. The next night they pinned up three members of the guild to the large tree in Magnolia south gate park." Natsu paused as counselor Hogg asked a question. "So in your opinion, you would say it was a phantom lord who dealt the first strikes?" "Yes," Natsu remarked to the counselor. He would try his best not to make any sarcastic or arrogant comments tot he counsel. It would not present him well. Nor would it do him any favors.

"You may continue what happened that day." Gran Doma voiced as Natsu found his place. "That day the rest of the guild went off to go fight phantom lord. But I stayed behind to watch the guild. I thought it would have been pointless to go fight." Natsu said. This caused some of the council members to raise a questioning eyebrow at this. "And why is it you thought it would be pointless?" counselor Ultear questioned.

"Because if we had merely waited, they might have come to us. Which would have meant they were the only ones that assaulted." Natsu ended. The members of the council nodded. This would have been true. And all the evidence would have pointed to the Phantom lord. But since Fairy tail had attacked that once. They assumed this was a mutually aggressed war between guilds. "That would have been clever, but your guild did in fact attack." Gran Doma said. "You're a smart lad. Go on." He finished.

"The master had been drowned in the battle by mysterious causes and they had retreated from what I heard. But then phantom used that mechanic building to attack us. In the end, I had fought Jose for only a short time until Makarov intervened." Natsu ended. "We had questioned your fellow guild members, the few that saw you say you fought Jose on equal footing. Two said it looked like you had the upper hand. Is this true?" counselor Leiji interrogated. "I believe I would have taken him down, but it would have taken at least ten more minutes to wear him down." Natsu retorted. Some of the counselors looked a little shocked at the bluntness of Natsu.

"So you would say that he would be a fairly easy opponent to take down?" counselor Jellal had finally taken an interest. "Yes, it would take roughly fifteen minutes in total. But master Makarov beat me to it." Jellal grew a smirk on his face. It was perfect, he thought. The counsel noticed that Natsu was not trying to brag, he was telling what he believed to be the truth. Which to some was more frightening. A mage that could take down a wizard saint easily was one to be feared and at the same time respected.

"Tell us, how was it that Makarov took down Jose Porla?" Gran Doma questioned. "It was a spell that is one of three. Three sacred spells from fairy tail. I only know of the one though. Its name is Fairy law." Natsu said as the members nodded. They had seen the state Jose was in. It now made sense to Gran Doma. It was a variant of the old and powerful spell called 'Law'. He knew it well. "As expected of a wizard saint to know such a spell. Makarov is a good man. He just lets his mages run wild." Gran Doma said as most of the counselors nodded their heads in agreement.

"Is there anything else you can remember from that day Dragneel?" Sage Org said in anticipation. "Well." Natsu started.

"There was a mage there, I think I was the only one who ever saw her. She said Jose hired her but I don't believe that was the truth." Natsu settled. He was not sure who she was except for her name. He then continued. "She said her name was Aeolus. Does that ring any bells?" Natsu asked the counselors, but as he expected. They gave back blank stares and unsure shakes of the head.

"Well, we have never heard of any mages by that name. But I think I've heard enough on this matter. I think we have made a decision." Gran Doma boomed out. He was most definitely a good figurehead of the council. Natsu thought. He was relentless when it came to scourging dark magic from the world of magic. And that was why dark mages all around were terrified of this man. But not Grimoire Heart of course.

But he was pulled from his thoughts from Gran Doma's voice again. "Natsu Dragneel, we would like you to tell us of what happened with the Cape town mission." Gran Doma finished.

Natsu was unsure where to start. But he then began from the most obvious place. "I went with a team, this team was Erza Scarlet, Gray Fullbuster, Lucy Heartfelia, And I," Natsu told to the counsel. Gran Doma squinted his vision. Scarlet and Fullbuster, if he was correct, were the ones from the trial not too long ago. Well, it was interesting, to say the least. Gran Doma thought.

"Scarlet accompanied you, this should prove that she keeps abusing her side of the bargain." Counselor Michello said waving a fist in the air. But Natsu spoke up. "The damage to the town was minimal and it was all caused by the beast that roamed the skies. Erza did not even fight the beast." Natsu said causing Michello to scoff and cross his arms with a huff.

"So tell me Dragneel, what was it you fought on that mission?" Gran Doma said. He could not let the word of this get out. It would cause panic. "It was a dragon, a large bluish-white dragon. It was roughly two hundred feet in length." Natsu said as the counselors where shocked. A dragon, he had fought a dragon and lived? This man was dangerous, and very much so. "So what happened to he dragon if I may ask?" Gran Doma said. He was one of the only ones to keep his composure besides Ultear. He was not a man that was shocked easily.

"I fought it and lost the fight. I put one good hit before it stuck me with a bolt of lightning." Natsu said as he pulled up his shirt to show the large scar of his left peck. Some of the counselors let a gasp out while others just observed it. "That is an impressive feat for one so young. Do you think it was possible you could have taken it down if you were a little more prepared?" Gran Doma asked. He wanted to know the scope of this boys power.

"No, I could not have. This dragon is probably one of the most powerful beings in the whole world." Natsu said as the council looked to be deep in thought. This boy was dangerous, and most likely needed to be locked away until he dies of old age. But there was also something about him that made them want to just let him return.

"Natsu Dragneel, here me now." Gran Doma cried out and spoke a few words. But it was enough for Natsu to get the message. "You are to deny the existence of any dragons, there are none. They all left long ago. Do you understand?" Gran Doma said with a very serious tone and a stern face. "This incident will never see the light of the public."

"I understand," Natsu said with a short and sweet answer. He could tell that the council chairman would punish him severely if he did tell. But Natsu did not have to ever go to prison. Because he would never be caught.

"Natsu Dragneel, you are free to leave." Gran Doma said. And as he was told. Natsu got up from his seat and left through the large doors.

"Do you think that was the right move chairman?" Sage Org asked with a hand stroking his beard.

"I believe he has a part to play. In something bigger than we can imagine." Gran Doma said with a small smile that was barely noticeable through his beard.

* * *

Natsu walked from the doors, he was surprised he was let go. He expected someone like the chairman to lock him up because he knew the chairman could feel his power. And the chairman had a deep residual fear that he could not control Natsu. But he still let me go. He walked down the hall as one guard met up with him. "Come with me, this way." Natsu followed the guardian down to a large door. The one he had come in. "Enjoy your trip back." The guardian said Natsu proceeded down the steps and to the same carriage. But then he asked the squad leader. "Hey man, listen. You saw that I get terrible motion sickness. So can I just walk home?" Natsu asked. He expected yes. Since it would not impede on this man's time. "I suppose if you must." The squad leader said.

"Thanks," Natsu said as he walked off. He would not ride that damn wagon again. He refused. So Natsu went into the city to buy some supplies for his trip back. He wandered to a fairly busy market square. The commotion was unsettling for him. He never liked being out in public. He felt out of place. That he would suddenly start scaring people off like he was some type of monster. But he let his mind wander no more as he approached a store that sold food and supplies.

Walking in he looked around and gathered what he thought would be necessary. At the counter, he bought the goods and walked out of the city to the east. He had a little detour to make on his way back to the guild.

* * *

August 27, X784, Near Cape town.

Natsu had traveled for five days to get to the town where so much went down. He was going to get that necklace back. And no one was going to stop him. As he walked into the town he saw that they had rebuilt and they looked to be happy once again. There were people walking in the streets and shopping in the market. The small town was free. The only way you could tell that the dragon was ever here was the large clearing. But even then. All the trees had been collected and put into giant stacks of lumber that the town would be able to use for months. The air in this region was dry, so the trees would preserve longer. Natsu dropped his travel pack and walked into the large clearing. The grass was up to his knee.

It would be hard to find the necklace in this now turned field, but he would persist. But what Natsu did not know was that from high in the sky. Someone was watching him. They had been for a while now. But she was too high in the air for him to smell her. She watched him for hours as he roamed the green field until he finally picked up a chain that was attached to a familiar cross-sword pendant. The woman then flew away. She had something to report finally.

Natsu picked up the necklace as a smile graced his face. It was past noon by now and he was starving. He went and picked his pack up from the edge of the field and walked to the town. He was then greeted by the familiar sight of the mayor. He walked over to talk to him. "Hey there, it's been awhile," Natsu said with a monotone voice.

"Ahh, It's you. Looks like you healed up nicely." Mayor Walter said. "So what brings you here?" The old mayor asked. Natsu looked to the elder and then pointed to the field. "I lost something in the field, I came back to retrieve it," Natsu said as he turned from the mayor.

"It was nice to see you again," Natsu said as he walked away. "Oh, you too young man." Old mayor Walter said a little confused. He had expected to talk longer. But I guess not. The old mayor thought.

Natsu had ended the conversation quickly. I hate having to talk about stuff like that. Natsu thought. Oh, it's been so long. Or I miss you. He did not like it one bit. He was not fond of talking too much. His time at Fairy tail had already pushed his boundaries on that. But he had to fit in there. So he made it work. But outside of that. He did not want to talk to people. They were annoying, plain and simple. Natsu walked back to the path he had come from. It took him five days to get to Cape Town on the east coast of Fiore. Of course, however, he could travel faster at time. By just using his new flames to use as a rocket. But he could only do it in short bursts. So he would walk or jog most of the way back. But it kept him in shape. Not that he had to worry. He had an amazing metabolism. But he still enjoyed working out.

But anyway. Natsu thought. Five days to get to Era. Then another five to get back to Magnolia. If he had to guess. So he would try his best to keep on schedule. He would travel for about eighteen hours and sleep for six. That sounded like a good routine. He might even get back faster on that schedule.

Natsu loved to travel. It was just great to smell the fresh air and the places the road will take you. Natsu then thought of his guildmates. They would be worried about him. But they could wait.

It's not like he was on the top of there worry list. Right?

* * *

September 7, X784, Magnolia

Many of the guild members had been going about there business since Natsu left. They were not too affected by it. But for the ones who knew him a little better, this was a little distressing. It had been sixteen days since the counsel took him for that questioning thing. They were worried that he was put in prison. But they got no word of anything. Erza had asked many times if she could go to Era to see what was happening. But the master had been reluctant to let her. He was going to wait and see what happened. Or at least that's what he had said.

Outside the guild, Natsu had been peacefully walking back to the guild without a trouble in the world. It was a bright sunny day and it was quiet besides some background noise of kids and people talking. He walked up to the door f the guild and pushed them in. As soon as he did. He saw Erza quickly stand up and walk towards him with a glare. He now regretted coming inside. But he would have t deal with it. He then but on a small smile and looked at Erza. "Hey Erza, how have you been.?" He said questioning the redhead.

But his smile did not persuade her. She marched right up and socked him in the jaw. Natsu had turned his head so the punch would slide off. And it did in fact. "Where have you been. We have been worried sick!?" Erza yelled out to the slayer. She was made angrier that he had made her fist slide off. She hated that he was always a step ahead. "After the interrogation, I went to Cape town to get something I had dropped during my battle," Natsu said raising his hands in his defense.

Erza face softened as she took a less stern face and hugged the slayer. "You should warn ahead of time the next time you venture off." Erza scolded as she released him from the embrace. "We thought you had been put in prison for gods knows what," Erza said. This made Natsu laughed out a little. You guys had no idea. Not a single clue.

"Okay fine," Natsu said with a bland face every present once more. Erza saw that Natsu always tried to cover his emotions. He was like her in some ways. Always bottling it up. But he was also worse than Erza. He would even hide his good emotions. He would check himself if he smiled or laughed. He was trying to be emotionless. But no one can do that. But then her mind wondered why it was he did this. Was he in a situation like mine? Or was it something else.

But then Erza walked back to the bar as Natsu followed her. They sat one seat apart from each other. Mira perked up at the sight of the pinkete and smiled. "Hey, big guy," Mira said with a wink. Natsu then thought back to what Makarov had said to him when he woke up. He had said to thank Mira because she had changed Natsu's clothes when he was out.

But then Natsu blushed red like he had never before. He usually never let lewd things like that get the better of him. But Mira had a way about her. Mira saw this and giggled. "Don't worry Natsu, I can keep a secret." She said with a cheerful tone. Erza saw the reaction Natsu made and she was most curious why he had. She then tried to use her brain.

She then pieced it together and then realized what it was they meant and she then thought of Natsu's... She smacked her hands to her cheeks to get rid of the thought.

She was taken aback that Mira seemed to be interested in the slayer. Mira was devious. And she always loved toy with boys. But this was different than the other times. And it made Erza a little jealous. Mira seemed to make Natsu like her more. Natsu talked with Mira. Even if only a little. But Erza wanted too be able to talk to him too. SHe could see Mira was laughing at something Natsu had said. She grew hot and stood from the barstool. She then walked away to the second floor. But what Erza did not know was Natsu watched her as she walked away.

Natsu looked back to Mira. "Hey, could I get something to drink," Natsu said to the white-haired barmaid. "For sure Natsu," Mira said with glee. She liked Natsu a lot. He was so handsome and mysterious. He was like those bad boys from the books and it was like she was in her own romantic novel. It made her heart flutter. But there was also a side to Mira that was unsure about him. Something that told her that he was not the one. But for now, she would follow what seemed to be right. And that was to try and win his heart.

"What would you like?" She asked furtively. Natsu brought his hand to his chin and thought a moment what he would like. "Just a mug of brew sounds nice," Natsu said to the cheerful barmaid. Natsu likes her. Not like she liked him though. He knew she likes him. He could tell because of his acute senses. He could hear the difference in her heartbeat. But the thing that told him the most was the smell of her. He could smell the pheromones that came off of her when she was around him. The subtle smells that even other dragon slayers could not smell. But he did not know. Maybe he would like her eventually. Only time can tell.

"Here you go Natsu. On the house." Mira said to him which did not go unnoticed by the master who had been sitting at the bar. "Hey, you can't keep giving Natsu free booze," Makarov told the white-haired barmaid. She scratched her head and apologized. "Sorry master, I won't do it anymore." She said with a small smile. "Sorry Natsu, orders are orders." She said which mad Natsu gives a slight smile. "So Natsu my boy, how was the counsel?" The master said as Natsu turned to Makarov.

"They were bothered by me to say the least. I thought for sure they would lock me up to save their own skins." Natsu said quietly enough for only Mira and the master to hear. "Don't pay those wrinkly old farts any mind. They try there best to keep the peace in the world. But sometimes they can be a real pain in the ass." Makarov said as he took another swig from his mug. "Yeah, your one to talk. You have to be at least in your seventies." Natsu said with a slight grin. He then returned to his monotone face. "Ha, I guess your right there," Makarov said as he thought of what Natsu said. It was true.

It had been a long time since he became the master of Fairy tail. Since his former master Pretch had left. He missed his master. But thought that he would have passed from old age by now. "Anyway Natsu, what was it you lost in Cape town?" Makarov was curious. Most would have just left it be if they had lost something. "It was a necklace, it was important to reclaim it," Natsu spoke no further on the topic.

"I see." The master spoke. "No matter, I won't pry," Makarov said. He could tell today something was off about Natsu. Even though he had only known him for around two months. He could see the normally calm and collected slayer was in anguish. He gave off sad smiles. Makarov decided to ask. "Is there something that is troubling you Natsu?" The master asked.

"Nothing really, It's just the day. Brings back, memories." Natsu said solemnly as he drank the rest of his mug. "Can I get another please," Natsu spoke. Mira happily went and got another. "Here." She said handing him the fresh brew. "Thanks." Natsu then sat in silence until later that night.

* * *

Later, that night.

Erza had been leaning on the roofed balcony of Fairy tail for a few hours. Just watching the city and thinking. She was lonelier than you might think. Even though she was friends with almost everyone in the guild. She never felt they were there when she needed them most. But as she watched, she saw a familiar head of hair walk out of the guild. It was Natsu. Erza felt that they were relatable, she felt he could understand her. But what was she thinking? He was not fond of her. She could tell by the way he talked to her.

He did not indulge himself to talk more with her. And it made Erza think she would have to stay lonely. But then something popped into her mind. And so. She decided to follow the slayer. She jumped onto the railing and slid quietly down the building. She landed and swiftly hid behind a building. Natsu must have heard her. Because he looked behind him but then continued walking.

That was close. Erza thought. She continued to follow the slayer until she found him outside a store. He went inside. She could not quite read the sign because it was small. So the redhead sat a moment before the slayer came out from the store with a bag in tow. He then walked toward eastern Magnolia. He continued past the edge of town and into the forest. She was not quite sure where he was going. But it intrigued the scarlet mage for sure.

Erza stalked the pinkete as they walked through the forest up a hill. Finally, Natsu walked out into a small pasture that was on a cliffside that overlooked a small stretch of land right before the lake. It was a beautiful sight. Natsu went to a hill on the cliff that had a single large oak tree. He laid down and looked to the endlessly gleaming starry sky. Erza saw what Natsu took out of the bag. It was three large bottles of liquor. Strong stuff too.

From the view, you could see the lake in front and Magnolia town to the right of the cliff. Erza, deciding she had watched long enough went over to the pinkete. She stood next to the tree and saw Natsu sitting on the ground with his legs in front of him and one hand back to balance. He was drinking directly from one of the liquor bottles as he looked out.

Then Erza saw something that made her heart sink. She saw that Natsu was crying. He had tears pouring down his face uncontrollably. And she felt like such an asshole to have snuck up and intruded on him like this. But then it was made worse when she heard him. "You having fun watching me like this." He said with an aggressive tone and his teeth bared. The tear still not stopping. She felt horrible.

"No, I would never." She said as she walked over and sat next to him. She looked to the sky and then to him. "Look, I'm sorry that I have been a bitch, I know I've been. But I would never make light of whatever it is your going through." Erza said with a serious undertone. But it was more of a warm courting tone. Natsu said nothing. The tears still streaming down from his puffed-up eyes. "Why were you following me?" Natsu said with an afflicted tone. "I don't know. I guess I was just curious. How did you know?" Erza asked.

Natsu then pointed a finger to his nose and then took another gulp from the bottle. Erza saw this and uttered. "Oh, you could smell me." She said. She did not remember that dragon slayers had acute senses. But then again, Natsu never really explained much about his abilities.

"Do you know what today is?" Natsu sorrowfully questioned the redhead. She could hear the quiver in his voice. She would never have expected to see him in such a vulnerable state. "It's the sixth of September." She spoke almost with a question. She was not sure if this was a trick question or not. But it felt like one. Natsu then elaborated.

"It's my day of birth," Natsu said as he drank some more out of the bottle and emptied it. He then opened up the second one. Erza was surprised by the revelation. His birthday. Why would that be so sad for him? Erza asked in her head. And almost as if Natsu had read her mind. He answered.

"My adopted father had left me on July the seventh. But every time it comes around. I think of him. But I celebrate him on my birthday. Just like we used to together." Natsu said as his tears poured out. Even though his face was emotionless besides the slight tinge of sorrow behind his eyes. He was still crying. He was a master of controlling his emotions. Erza thought.

"I think about him every day. I just want to be able to see him again someday." Natsu cried out. His bottom lip was trembling. Erza felt her heartbreak. He looked so melancholy. He was trying his best to hold it back, but it was obvious he was failing too. But then he continued.

"But right now, I just want to get drunk. And forget about today." Natsu spoke as Erza was moved by this tear-jerking statement. Erza leaned over and hugged him. He was fighting it at first. But then he let her. She held him while his tears rolled down unto her white blouse and as his lip quivered. "Could you stay and watch the stars with me Erza?" Natsu said as he looked at the redhead for the first time that evening.

Erza was taken aback by his boldness. but she would help to comfort him. "Of course I will." She said as she let go of him and sat in silence. She was just enjoying being able to share this moment with him. It was the type of moment that really stood out when you looked back on it.

The Natsu slurred out a question to Erza. "Would you lick a drink," Natsu spoke slowly. Erza could tell he was getting drunk. He was halfway through the second bottle of brandy. And it was showing. But Erza knew what he meant. "That sounds good." Erza took the bottle from his extended hand and took a drink. It tasted good. She had never really drunk much before. But she would here tonight. "Thanks, Natsu." Erza softly spoke as she looked to the stars. "No problem." Natsu slurred out. He was also enjoying this right now.

He was touched by Erza sitting with him. That was all he needed. He would never tell her. But he needed her here tonight. He felt better because she was. The silence was absolute bliss. Erza took another drink before handing it back to Natsu who then drank the rest of the bottle down. He places it precariously on the other empty one. He seemed to be in a better mood now.

He had stopped his tears. But was still wearing his blank emotionless face. It made Erza grieve for him. He was taught to hide himself, and it was not right. Erza scooted closer and was shoulder to shoulder with the dragon slayer. She saw that he had just opened the last bottle. But once he did. Erza snatched it and took a huge gulp from the bottle.

Natsu made his eyebrows dance curiously. He was impressed by this. Never thought that she would do that. All ready though. Erza seemed to have rosy cheeks. She had a good buzz going right now. He could tell. Erza took one more drink before handing it off to Natsu. "Here, you can have the rest," Erza said. She could feel the heat from his body and it was the only thing that kept her from shivering.

"Thank you Erza, for being here with me," Natsu uttered quietly. But she heard it loud and clear. The two sat there into the night until they both fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

X784, Cape Town.

The small town could be seen smoking from the distance. There were muffled screams and the sound of crackling. No one was sure what exactly had happened besides the fact that they were attacked in the middle of the night. "Burn every house, kill every man, woman, and child. No one can be left alive to tell the tale." A man with white robes yelled to his battalion. The slew of Rune knights shuffled around as they went and made sure that Cape town was erased from the face of the earth. "Very good Sergeant Valian." Spoke a woman who was overseeing the operation. She stood over watching the burning village as her white kimono and long raven hair flowed in the wind. Ultear then spoke maniacally.

"We have to take measures to keep order. No matter the cost."

* * *

**To be continued...**

**This chapter took a little longer, but I find that I am quite happy with it. And I hope you are too. Any way. This one is 10 thousand, just to let you know.**

**Now, Don't be upset about Natsu's birthday. I know they say it is June 20, but to fit the story I had to adjust it. **

**Leave comments on what you thought of the story, along with any critics or advice on what I can do to better your reading experience. **

**Be ready for the next one. Chapter 10!**


	10. Paradise City

**I do not own Fairy tail, that belongs solely to Hiro Mashima. **

**Welcome back to chapter 10! We made it! Yeah! By the way, I just thought about this. I don't think I will do the whole Edolas thing. It was probably one of my least favorite arcs to read/ watch. Plus I really don't know much about it. So I will skip it. **

**But I will do the Fantasia arc. I decided I liked it. It will probably be a short one though. **

**Feel free to leave comments. And if you have any criticism, please come forward and tell me if I can improve on anything. That's all I have to say.**

**Sorry about the lateness. But I would like to tell you that I took some time to read the book "Salem's Lot" by Steven King and it was amazing. It took like two and a half weeks to read all off it. But it was great. I recommend you find yourself a copy and settle down with it.**

**Enjoy the story!**

* * *

Chapter 10 : Paradise City

September 8, X784, Outside Magnolia.

Erza awoke to the sound of birds chirping. She stirred and sat up with a minor headache. She did drink a little more last night even after she said she was done. Mainly because Natsu had insisted she finished the bottle. But Natsu had drunken far more than her. He was snoring softly at the moment and she thought he looked cute right now.

But she dismissed the thought and then shook his arm. Then Natsu quickly got up and held his head. He had a minor headache too. But that was because he was more used to drinking. Natsu looked at Erza who gave him a quirky little look. "What's that look for?" Natsu asked. His face showing his bland expression and monotone voice.

"It's nothing," Erza said. She got to her feet and stretched out with a yawn. Natsu stood and yawned as well. He looked at Erza with a glare. "You made me yawn." He declared as he too stretched his arms and legs.

Erza formed a smile at this. "We should get back to the guild. It looks like it's a little while after sunrise." Erza said and started to walk back as Natsu followed. "About last night. I'm sorry you saw me like that. It was just that..." He was cut off much to his relent.

"It's fine, we all have gone through hard times. I just helped you go through yours." She said with a calm demeanor.

Natsu nodded. "I suppose. Thanks." He finally said as the two walked in silence back to the guildhall. Erza threw open the doors and went to the bar where Mira was already working the bar. Mira gave a small frown. She saw they came in together, and she did not like to think that something happened. But then she turned her cheerful switch back on and asked.

"So Erza, where were you last night, you never came back home," Mira questioned the redhead. No way she would back down without a fight like the old days. "Oh, I was with Natsu last night." She said bluntly as Natsu sat down. Many looked over to look at Erza including the master. Mira looked a little shocked as well.

Erza then realized the way she phrased it. "Sorry, not like that. He was just feeling down." Erza said trying to cover herself. "Oh, well that's very thoughtful of you," Mira said with a smile. But inside her head, she wanted to punch Erza right in her face. Damn it. How could I not see he was feeling bad. Damn it. Mira thought.

"It's good to see you two getting along for once," Makarov said. He thought they would keep bickering forever. But I guess it shows what he knows about people. "So Erza," Gray said as he walked up behind her. By now his eye was black all around. It was not puffed up at all though. So that was good.

"Loke gave me these tickets to someplace and I was hoping we could go as a team. Well. Maybe without Natsu." Gray said as Natsu glared at Gray. Gray scowled at the fire mage before Erza interrupted.

"Hey. No fighting Gray." Erza said with a stern voice. "So what was it you wanted to show me?" Erza said questioning the ice make mage. "Well Loke gave me four tickets to a resort and I thought we should go as a team," Gray said as he showed the tickets to Erza. Lucy walked over and spoke.

"Yeah, I think a vacation sounds great!" Lucy giggled with a gleeful smile. Erza smiled at this.

"This sounds like a perfect team-building exercise." She said as Lucy nd Gray looked dumbfounded. Of course, she would turn this into some sort of boot camp. Erza walked over to Natsu who was eating something at the moment. She walked over and smacked him in the back. "Hey, can't you see I'm eating," Natsu said with a sour tone.

"Well, I was going to tell you that we are going to a resort. As a team." She said as she gripped his arm as if to tell him to follow her. Natsu huffed and left his food on the counter. The two walked to Lucy and Gray. "So are you ready to go on a trip Natsu." Lucy smiled brightly at this. Not every day you get to go to an exclusive resort. "

Natsu breathed in and out slowly. Lucy's positive energy was going to make him implode. He swore this girl got on his nerves. "I suppose it would be nice to see some chicks in bikini's," Natsu said as Erza punched him in the shoulder.

"You know it's not about that. But I suppose you're pretty close to the margin." Erza said with a smile.

"Yeah, flame dick. Don't be a perv." Gray mocked the dragon slayer. "Gray. I will give you another black eye if you don't watch it." Natsu growled as Erza put a hand on his chest.

"Now boys, don't you start fighting," Erza said in a sweet yet murderous voice that made Gray and Lucy pale. "Come on, let's all just get along on this trip," Erza said. She had not gone on vacation in a while. And she did not want them to mess it up.

"Whatever," Gray grumbled. "We should meet at the station around two, it will take a while to get there," Erza said as she walked out of the guild.

Natsu sat at the bar as the time flew by. He was going to hate this trip, he could feel it.

* * *

September 8, X784, Akane Resort

"Fucking hell," Natsu gripped as he lifted his head from a trash can. "I swear, someday I will destroy every train in existence," Natsu said waving his fist in the air.

"That's pretty extreme," Lucy said with a sweatdrop. She looked around the resort and was fascinated by the place. This was going to be fun, Lucy thought.

They walked to the entrance and thy showed the lady in the booth the tickets. "You four are cleared for an all-expense three-day stay. These are some pretty killer tickets you got." The lady said. Erza practically had strs in her eyes. "Full expense!" She spurted out.

"Yep, it says right here." The lady said as she gave them each a blank white wristband that only had one word on it in small lettering. Akane. "These are your passes, and enjoy your stay, at Akane resort!" The lady said with an all too sweet smile. Natsu was the only one who noticed how she said it.

But He reluctantly put on the band and walked through the gate. It was pretty cool. He'll give it that, but there was something that he could fell about it. It put him on edge just staying here. Erza had to lead them through the office and they got rooms. Two to be exact.

It was sunset when they arrived, and soo they would not be doing anything tonight. Erza had gotten two rooms that were next to each other, and the rooms had two beds in each. Lucy with Erza, and Natsu with Gray. Gray had been gripping at her when she did it, but she thumped him in the head after a while. And so begrudgingly, they would bunk in the same room.

"Hey, I'm going to take a shower," Natsu said as he threw his shirt to the bed exposing his chest. "Yeah whatever," Gray said as he lay on his bed. Natsu closed the door behind him and saw the bathroom was pretty large. They had gotten two pretty nice rooms. Natsu had definitely stayed in worse places.

He turned on the shower that was also a large tub. He proceeded to undress in from of the mirror. He examined himself as he had done hundreds of times. But this time was different. He could see the ghastly scar on his left pectoral. HIs ran his fingers over through conglomeration of skin that formed a circle with small rays from it. He never imagined he'd have something like this, but in a sense; it was an almost nostalgic feeling he got. He could remember clearly that many scars his adopted father had. They were scars, yes, but they were ones that he was proud of.

Natsu would treasure it because he learned something that was never foreseen. His experience would change his life forever, and he was profoundly content with his encounter with Niner. Because he knew that he was the only one to have ever had the chance to know these secrets. And it didn't hurt that he was a dragon, it only made the time he spent all the more memorable. He could still feel the energy around the scar, and it would stay like that for years probably. He was not the same person as he was before he went into his coma. But he didn't regret a second of it.

Natsu then looked at his reflection. He stared back with a bored expression. He half expected for the 'Other' to show up and torment him. But he figured it would not be the case. He didn't want those accursed flames to show up again. He had his ruffled pink hair that he had trimmed back to normal. His onyx eyes that curved slightly up. He ran his hand along his jaw that was strong and slightly squared. He muscled were profound, but not so much as those bodybuilders with there fake muscles. His muscles were stronger and more real. But, have muscles infused with magic is why he was stronger.

His six-pack looked like it was chiseled from stone. Almost felt like it too. But it was also a little uneven and messy. Some parts weren't quite up to par. But he could care less about it. He then looked at his lean legs, but also pack tightly with cords of strength. He was fairly tall, he probably not get any taller though. He was about six feet, but more likely it was closer to five-eleven. He had seen only two women naked in his now nineteen years. But he had never had actual sex.

The other woman was Ultear, but that had been an accident. But he supposed it was three girls now, Erza was now part of that list. But he was now a little ashamed to think about it. When he thought back to it, what he had done was extremely creepy and perverted. And he called Gray a pervert. He was not sure why he did it though. He knew once he did it that it was messed up, but he couldn't stop himself since he was there.

But he would never do it again. He was sure of himself that it was something that should never have been done.

Natsu finally stopped looking in the mirror and went into the hot water, it made his muscles relax as he let out a sigh. The water ran down the back of his head as he looked up. He thought of himself well, he had never put himself down, he found that many people in fairy tail seemed damaged inside. They were all held together by the premise of the guild. It seemed that it was the only thing that held some of them together. But again. He had no idea what he would have turned out like if he had never met with Hades. He'd probably be some wild man that knew only about surviving in the wild. But at least it would be a peaceful existence. Just him living in a cave and hunting. He would probably have gotten better with his magic, but not to the degree that he was now. That is unless he had found other dragons to fuel his fire. But the only other dragon he'd meet was Niner. But he supposed that counted.

He thought about the breath. What Niner had told him was the core of all dragons' power. BUt then Natsu surprised himself. He had breathed out and some fire just came along with it. And it seemed an almost trivial thing to him, that is was so simple and yet. He would never have thought of it. Just to focus, and breath. To feel the fire in your belly and how it swirled and grew and faded. You would feel at one with it. It was a spectrum.

The reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, and purples. They were all part of a fire, a living and breathing power that came from one source, the sun. He could feel how his magic lessened with the sun's disappearance, and he knew that that was it's only weakness. But he had something new now. It was cold-hearted energy. It was void of warmth and life. There was an almost deathly chill it gave him. When he had displayed it to Niner, he could feel the fluctuating energy, and that his scar was stinging. There was a connection to his scar and his ability to bend the cold-fire.

He looked at his fingertips and he saw the sparking. But then there was a hard wrapping at the bathroom door. "Hey fire prick, could you get out already," Gray said harshly. "Just wait for a second," Natsu mouthed off. He turned off the water and opened the shower curtain. He had not washed, but then again he didn't do much today. He had taken a shower this morning after his five a.m training anyway.

He then saw that there was not a towel in the whole bathroom. They must have all been in the small linen closet in the room. "Gray, could you get me a towel," Natsu said with an irked tone. "How could you forget a towel," Gray said as his voice faded slightly as he went to the closet with the towels. Natsu then opened the bathroom door and walked out while carrying his clothes.

"Jesus," Gray said as he threw the towel at Natsu who covered his manhood as soon as he got the towel. "Thanks," Natsu said with a bored expression plastered to his face.

"You could have waited," Gray said. It had not been long, but he had seen Nasu's... Damn it. "What, I have nothing to hide. Plus the girls are in a different room."

"Just put some clothes on," Gray said as he grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom door. But before he could enter, he heard something that made him want to shove an ice spike down this prick's throat.

"Jealous," Natsu said with a smirk. He had the towel around his waist now. "Fuck you, I'm on good terms," Gray said as he walked into the bathroom with a slam of the door.

Natsu returned his blank face and dressed in some short white boxers. He then heard a fist on the door to the room. He walked over and opened the wooden blocker.

"You better be getting along Nats...u," Erza quickly said as she realized Natsu's lack of clothing. "No worries, Gray just didn't like getting me a towel," Natsu said as Erza raised her brow. She perked her eyebrows at this. She was not quite sure what he meant by that.

"Anyway, I just heard some yelling and slamming," Erza said as she returned to her stern turn of voice. "It's all good," Natsu said as he leaned on the doorframe.

"You seem not to be too happy about being here," Erza said as she stared at his chest. "You should know me better by now, I don't like being around people. They irk me." Natsu said with a dark tone. He seemed to be just as cold as he was before. She thought he might talk with her with a more inviting tone because of last night. But it seems that he would not.

Erza gave Natus a look of almost pity. "Well, get some sleep. Maybe tomorrow you'll have some fun." Erza said as she walked back over to the room next door.

"Hey Erza," Natsu said with his deep voice. Erza turned back to look at him. He looked at her with a blank face, but it was somehow profound and serious. "I just want to thank you again, It means a lot to me that you." He paused a second. Erza anticipated his next words.

"I just wanted to say you helped me through some sad memories." He said as he walked into his room and closed the door, leaving Erza to think about his words. She too retired to her room.

Closing the door, she saw Lucy reading a book on her bed. "So what happened?" Lucy questioned looking up from her book.

"You know, I really don't know. Natsu just said that Gray didn't like getting him a towel. Whatever that means." Erza said as she sat at the edge of her bed. "Maybe Natsu just forgot to get a towel," Lucy said. Erza then looked like she was deep in pondering the idea. She could only imagine how that played out.

"I'm going to sleep, I've had a long day," Lucy said as she put her book on the end table and turned off the lamp. "Good idea," Erza said as she got under the covers.

"Hey, Erza?" Lucy said in the darkness. "Yeah," Erza responded. "Now I don't mean to judge, but why did you and Natsu come into the guild together?" Lucy asked.

"If you're asking if I had sex with him, then no. I did not." Erza said. She could not see Lucy, but she could hear the choking noise she made when she said. "That's not what I meant," She said.

"He was just having a bad day and I just tried my best to make him feel better."

"Oh really, he seemed fine," Lucy said surprised. "I think he shies away from showing his feelings," Erza told the blonde as then a click was heard and the lamp was turned on. "So, do you like him?"

"No, not really. I mean not like in that way." Erza said. "But," Erza said which piqued Lucy's interest. "He nice to look at though," Erza said with a small smirk that did not go unnoticed by Lucy. "Yeah, he's pretty for sure. And he's got that bad boy persona locked in so well." Lucy said. She realized this was the first time she and Erza had a 'girl' talk.

"I suppose so. But I don't like him as a person. He's always hiding something, he's very what's the word?" Erza said as she thought of the word. "Mysterious?" Lucy asked. "Yeah, I never know what to expect from him. And I couldn't be with a person like that. I don't trust him on that level." Erza said as Lucy nodded.

"How to explain it better," Erza said in thought. "I trust him as a member of the guild. He would protect others and stand up for our values. But as a person, I don't trust his mental self. If that makes sense." Erza said as she questioned her self. "I get it," Lucy said. "I feel the same way," Lucy uttered.

She and Erza continued to talk for a while.

* * *

September 9, X784, Akane Resort

Natsu awoke early in the morning and found Gray was still asleep. It was almost sunrise, but he decided to get a start on his day. He dressed in his dark olive green pants and his tight sleeveless black shirt; he would not wear shoes though, seeing as they were at the beach. Plus he liked to have his bare feet on the earth, it was a pleasant natural feeling.

He took one last look at Gray who was still sleeping under the covers of the comfortable dark blue-colored bed. The hall was carpeted with designs and he walked down the hall to a grand staircase. The Cafe' was open and serving breakfast to his surprise. I suppose they are ready for the early goers.

He took a seat at one of the wooden carved tables and just sat for a while.

Eventually, he saw Erza and the others walking down to the foyer. He made eye contact with Erza who then took a sharp turn in his direction. The way she walked to him made him think she was going to tear into him. But to his relief, she merely sat across from him at the table as the others followed suit.

"Someone's up early," Erza said in a mildly amused tone. She flashed Natsu a smile of which a did not return. "So what exactly do we do here?" Natsu asked with a bored face as the others gawked at him. What do we do? They all thought in synchronicity.

"What do you mean, it's a resort?" Lucy said with a face of pity. His question put a dull sadness in her heart that was almost too real to her childhood. And how her father had always been cold.

Natsu looked down a moment and grabbed the back of his neck. "Well, I've never really had a vacation. That's all." He said blandly as the others gave slight frowns. "Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to have some fun, right?" Erza said.

"Yeah, I guess I will," Natsu said as he got up and grabbed something to eat. They all ate at the Cafe' and headed for the beach. There was a blissful breeze that strolled through as the heat of the sun broke shattered the clouds bringing a ray of heat that made you go 'aah'.

Natsu for the first time he was here actually feel some joy. If there was anything he liked, it was the rays of the sun. He could feel his chest swell and his breath swing to a gentle and calm rate. He soaked in the heat and breathed out a small flame from his mouth in the process. Breaths of fire. The others seemed a little confused by the sudden change in slayer. He seemed so very downtrodden just moments ago. Erza smiled at this.

"Seems like your enjoying yourself already," She said patting his shoulder with a rough slap. "I suppose so."

Natsu then walked over and plopped himself down on the sand and took off his shirt. He laid down and closed his eyes as the breeze pursued.

After about an hour, Erza walked over to Natsu who was still lying down and she saw how his chest glistened in the sun and the gentle repetitions that went up and down. She poked him with her foot as he opened his eyes. He glared at his disturber but then settled back to his bored face.

"We're going to play volleyball, want to play? Or are you going to continue basking," Erza smirked at the slayer. "Haha very funny," Natsu said with an aggravated tone.

"But sure, I'll play," Natsu grumbled as he leaped from his lying position and up to his feet. He walked with the scarlet haired mage to the sandy playfield. The pillars that held the net were driven deep in the ground to keep then straight upright. Gray was on his side and Erza and Lucy on the opposing team.

"Hey, fire prick, ready to play?"

Natsu huffed at the ice mage but nonetheless nodded. "Yeah."

Erza held the ball and then tossed it to the air.

* * *

Later that day...

It was almost sundown, and the lot of them we're in the casino portion of the resort. It was quite lively here, Natsu was playing some sort of slot machine while Erza had been doing pretty good at poker.

"Damn it, I swear this thing is rigged," Natsu sighed to himself. "That's the point you know."

Gray said as he walked up behind the pink-haired mage. "To whom do I hold the pleasure," Natsu sarcastically said as Gray made an irked expression. "Yeah whatever, I was just saying there supposed to be rigged," Gray said crossing his arms as he walked off.

"That guy needs to work on his temper," Natsu laughed to himself. But then he felt a strange force. There was something or someone here that was powerful. It felt familiar, but also dreadfully distant. Where did he know it from? He could not quite figure it out. He then wondered if anyone else could feel it. He then went over to prove his theory.

Erza would be the most likely of people to know. At the poker table, Erza was practically calling all the shots. He would never have thought she was so good at gambling. He tapped her shoulder and she turned her head and gave an inquisitive look.

"Do you feel anything?" He gave her a sure look and she shook her head. "No, why," She questioned. "It's nothing," Natsu murmured to himself.

"What's going on?" Erza said now worried. "Don't fret, it's nothing," Natsu then left her there to her thoughts. He then walked around the large room and tried to see if he could pinpoint the source. But alas he could not. Then all of a sudden. The lights went out. But it was not the lights that stopped. It was the darkness that interrupted. He could feel that it was a magic spell.

Someone was behind and attempted to shot him in the head. He swooped to the left and the bullet flew by his cheek. "Hey asshole, do you have a death wish?" Natsu said as he looked at the man that was blocky for some unknown reason.

"Well that was not dandy, I missed," The man said as he held the smoking gun in his hand. He loaded another shot and shot the round. "I hear tonights special is a smoked salamander, so take this steaming bullet," THe man said as the round whizzed by. Natsu made a breath of fire and the heat melted the bullet in the air. It dropped to the ground as molten lead.

"Is that the best insult you can dish out?" Natsu said with disinterest. He was sure this guy knew exactly who he was, and he knew who this bastard was. He was one of Jellal's men. But I think he knows he couldn't beat me in a fight. He must be a distraction. Natsu then ran off from the man.

"Where the hell are you going?!" The man yelled as he fired at the pink-haired dragon slayer. "You're a waste of my time," Natsu said coldly as the block man made a look of defeat as he then went to support his other allies. "Erza! Were are you!"

Natsu yelled out. But then all of a sudden the lights went out. Or rather, something else merely replaced the light. It was magic. Natsu thought as he looked around the abyss. He could still hear and smell everything though.

HE could smell Gray over to the side along with that one phantom lord chick that had joined the guild during his coma. Why is she here? It doesn't matter. He thought as he ran to a rather large man. He felt the air around him shift as the man went to punch him, but he turned to block the strike and punched the man in the stomach.

The man groaned with displeasure as he fell to his knees. The dark cloud of magic vanished and everyone seemed to be asleep aside from the mages here. He could not see Erza. But he could smell where she had gone, along with three others. That block man was with them. But this guy in front of him was the reason they got away.

Natsu looked at the pitiful state the large man was in. He was on his knees and groveling about the punch Natsu had delivered to him. He wore a face mask and had no shirt, but rather some type of cloth and one sleeve on the left side. It was an odd attire. There was also a noticeable eyepatch the adorned the man's face. There was also a noticeable scar on his chest that was quite large.

"So, mind telling me why you and your buddies took scarlet," Natsu was with a nonchalant voice. Simon looked at his face and could see in full definition; the man that so easily put him down. "You're the Salamander," The man said as Natsu punched him in the jaw of the face mask which gave out a large cracking sound.

"Don't call me that, I'm just Natsu," The slayer said with glaring eyes. This idiot could have sabotaged his mission. The man held his jaw and felt the crack in his helmet.

Natsu stood and crossed his arms, he looked at the man patiently as he waited for him to compose himself again. The man looked at Natsu in the eyes and quivered slightly. Jellal had given them a briefing on what to expect of there mission, but it was worse than he thought. Or better in his case. If this mage was as powerful as the stories say, then he could easily take Jellal down. But he still had his doughts. They are stories after all, and he did not have the most reliable of sources.

Finally, the man looked ready to speak. "I am Simon, and I need your help," Simon said as he took a kneeling position.

"You got to be fucking with me?" Natsu questioned. He raised an eyebrow and slightly clenched his fist. "Please hear me out. They took Erza to the tower, I can take you. But you have to save Erza. I beg of you, you must save her." Simon said as he let a tear roll down his face.

"You dip shit, why could you have just not taken part of this. Maybe she would have never been away with," Natsu said as Simon looked puzzled a moment. "I would if I could, but Jellal is far too strong. I assume you know of him. Being who you are, but I also know that you are the only one here that is capable of doing this," Simon finished.

"Natsu! Where's Erza," Gray spouted as he ran up with Juvia. A moment later Lucy cam from the doors looking distraught. "They took her, and there was nothing I could do to save her," Lucy started to sob. Gray stepped over and embraced her while Juvia looked like she was going to boil over.

"Don't worry Luce, we'll get her back," Gray said as he looked over at Natsu and the man on the floor. "Natsu, who's this clown," The raven-haired mage said with a cold voice. HE was ready to smash some skulls to find Erza. "This guy is our ticket to the tower.

"What tower?" Lucy said as her eyes were still red. "It's called the tower of heaven. They have taken her there. But you will have to fight for your lives to save her," Simon said. "Great, just what the doctor ordered," Gray said as he slammed his fist into his palm and suddenly stripped down to his black boxers.

"Gray, your close," Lucy said. "I know, I meant it this time," He said as Lucy made a strange face. Not quite sure what it was, to be honest. Natsu thought to himself as he watched the transaction.

"We should get a move on, I can still smell Erza," Natsu said as Lucy once again made a weirded out face. "No matter if you have an amazing sense of smell or not, you still sound like a pervert," Lucy said as Gray laughed out at this.

"Whose the pervert now, prick," Gray said with a chuckle. Natsu sucker-punched Gray's shoulder and for a second Gray swore it was numb. But then the pain swam in like salmon going up a stream. It was in slashes and waves. Somehow this punch was different than the other times.

"No, still you ice princess," Natsu smirked and then ran to the exit door while the others followed. "Make a boat Gray," Natsu said as Gray seemed to be genuinely surprised by this.

"Huh, I never even thought of making a boat before," Gray said as he closed his eyes and readied his stance. His shoulder was still in dull pain. His hands glowed a bluish-white and he stepped forward. **Ice-Make Boat!** Then in the water, a boat that was about twenty foot long was formed. There were bench seats inside and even notches for oars.

Natsu looked to the water mage and grabbed her shoulder in a tight grip. "Can you use your magic to move us to the tower?" Natsu said stoically. Juvia seemed to be surprised by his bold move, but then snapped back. "Yes, Juvia can move the boat," She nodded as Natsu let go of her shoulder. He felt a little weirded out that she spoke in the third person. But he shrugged it off and took a deep breath.

Gray saw this and then suddenly remembered this slayer's acute dislike of transportation devices, this would be hilarious. "Okay, I will lead us with my nose, but I swear that if anyone makes any wisecrack about my, ahem, sickness. I will throw you off the boat," Natsu said with a fierce glare. He then stepped his foot in the boat and instantly dropped to a seated position.

"Oh fuck! Fuck you, Gray! Go southwest!" Natsu spurted out as Gray was barely holding in his laughter.

* * *

The Tower of Heaven...

"Hello Erza, It's been a long time. Hasn't it," Jellal grinned under his dark blue hood. The room was dim and Erza could barely see what was going on. But she could hear clearly the voice that came from the shady atmosphere. It was her old friend. Her old fear. Whatever you wanted to call it.

"What are you doing Jellal, what have you done," Erza quivered her bottom lip as she felt the tears pour down her face. It was uncontrollable now, she wanted to be stronger than this. She had to be, but there was a deep residual fear in her heart that told her she had to submit. There was a higher power at play here.

But e=what it was would forever remain a mystery in her mind. "Like what I've done with the place," There was a sadistic done in his voice that haunted her dreams from childhood, and it seemed that the fears were real and right in front of her. She could barely form words at the incomprehensible idea. The tower was built. And my struggle here, my fight. It was all for nothing, I failed my friends, I failed Simon.

She thought back to when she had seen the cold eyes of Simon. It was almost like it had happened yesterday. She could feel the fading breath and the pallid skin tone. The blushingly beautiful Erza was on her knees as seemingly endless tears ran down her face.

She saw the figure of her old friends get up from his thrown. He had a walkabout him that shown dominance. He seemed to be eight feet at the moment. He probably was. He lumbered over her with his eyes staring and his wicked grin shining through.

He knelt and lifted her chin. He looked into her brown eyes as she could only sit there. She was powerless. He put his face closer to hers and she could feel his warm breath on her face.

"Do you miss me, Erza," Jellal said as he ran his other hand through her hair and closed the distance between his and Erza's lips.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Wow, sorry for the wait. I did not expect that boo to take so long to read. It was only 630 pages which is nothing honestly. Anyway. I hope you enjoyed the precursor to the Tower of Heaven Ark.**

**Feel free to leave comments and criticism on what you thought. Leave tips or suggestions if you'd like. I just like to get feedback. **

**You all have a great day and be prepared for the next one, ****Chapter 11!**


	11. Houses of The Holy

**I do not own Fairy tail, that belongs solely to Hiro Mashona.**

**Welcome to chapter 11. I hope you like the last chapter, it's necessary to have that transitional period.**

**By the way, I will have Ikaruga, but those other characters are bullshit. So I made two different ones to foot the bill. **

**Make sure to leave comments and criticism on the story and any advice you can give me to make my writing better.**

**Enjoy the story!**

* * *

Chapter 11 : Houses of The Holy

September 9, X784, The Tower of Heaven

"Hey, I can see it!" Lucy yelled out while Natsu glared at her. "Shut your mouth blondie, you'll get us caught." Lucy quickly quieted down as the boat of ice made its way to the sandy shore of the small island. They stopped off and Gray released his magic which melted on the spot.

"Oh fuck," Natsu said quietly as he leaned over. He came back up and wiped his mouth. "That is why you making a boat is a great idea, there's no evidence that we came here," Natsu said as the others nodded. Some of them noticing Natsu's blatant disregard that he just threw up. "Hey you, Simon or whatever. Get the hell out of my sight," Natsu said as Simon seemed to be frozen. He was confused about why he had to leave. Simon finally formed the words he had previously tried to say.

"But I'm helping to get her back," Simon said as he pleaded. Natsu gave him a blank stare that made a shiver go down the man's spine. "You're the reason Erza was taken, so you can go ahead and fuck off,"

"Don't you think you're being too hard on him?" Gray said. Lucy nodded as well. Natsu seemed to be in thought as he stared down Simon. These people were too soft for there own good. Natsu thought.

"Do you know your way around the tower?" Natsu asked as Simon seemed to light up. "Yes, I know the tower very well."

"Fine, you can join. But only because you're a resource," Natsu said in a dauntless voice. They walked to the right of the tower and found a pathway that leads up the tower. There was a thick fog that gave them good cover from detection. If not for the denseness, they would have been spotted on there way up the spiraling pathway.

They entered the tower through a small side door that led to a storage room, there were many wooden crates and shelves full of rations and supplies. Natsu looked into a sack that held some apples. They were fairly fresh, and so he took one and proceeded to eat it. He looked around the room some more before he opened the door to the tower. They entered a hallway that had many offshoot doors and pathways connected to it.

"Lead the way," Natsu said as he waved for Simon to press on ahead of them. Simon looked around a moment longer and then he pointed down the third path on the left. "There's the way to the main dining room," He said as he felt Natsu behind him. There was a moment of fear that made a groaning sound. But it was silenced when he turned around.

"And why the hell would we go to a dining hall," Natsu said with malice, he hated every second of this place. It was one more second that he was diverted from his real mission. And this asshole seems content to make him stalled as much as possible.

"The dining room is the main room that leads to everywhere in the tower. There was something off about this place that Natsu could feel. There was a presence that was all too familiar. And it was not Jellal, it was something different that came from him that worried Natsu. There was a second force that surrounded this mysterious man that made Natsu uneasy. It was benevolent and destructive at the same time.

As they entered the room, There was a man in a red suit that had blonde hair and light brown skin. "How could you betray us, Simon?! Were your family, not them!" Sho creamed as he balled his fists. Simon walked toward Sho, but it seems the blonde-haired man was not going to have it.

"You don't understand, Jellal has been fooling us all. I've just been waiting for the right chance." Simon said as he confronted the Sho. "You liar! He's protected us from the evils of the world! Erza ran out on us, she left us stranded!" Sho had tears streaming down his face as yelled out his sorrows.

"You have no right to say that he was wrong!" Sho screamed. Simon looked at him empathetically. His friend was brainwashed, it was why he followed Jellal so blindly. But he would have to break him of this. "Sho listen! Erza tried to save us, I was there when Jellal turned over. He tried to kill me but I survived. I survived because I knew one-day Erza would return to us. He was the one who burned the boats. He was the one that manipulated us to build this cruel tower!"

Simon also had tears running the lengths of his cheeks. All the suppressed pain he felt spewing out of him.

Natsu watched the interaction. It was interesting, to say the least. Who knew Erza was a part of this whole thing. It would make sense though. He had seen her scars that one night. He had them to be battles scars, but some of them had been on her back. And he did not take her for a coward. Scars on the back are one of two things. One is a coward that runs from battle. And the other, are those of a slave. He had seen the slaves that those demons in Tartoros had. They were hardly even human due to the torture and cruel dehumanization.

"Did she really try to save us, It's all so confusing," Sho slid to his knees and ran his fingers through his hair. "All my growing up, we have been stuck here, building and enslaving. Doing the same thing that they had done to us before. We became those men with the keys. How can I live with myself," Sho sobbed as Simon knelt in front of him and put a firm hand on Sho's shoulder.

"We can start by freeing Erza, and everyone else here as well," Simon gave him a confident smile and then stood up and helped Sho to his feet. Sho did not smile, but he seemed to be content.

Natsu sighed out as the proceedings seemed to be ended. "Well if you're done crying over yourselves, let's get this over with," The pinkete said as he marched up the large doors that sho had come from. "So, do you know where Erza is?" Natsu affirmed to Sho with a sharp tone. Sho seemed to stumble on his words.

"Yes, the top floor chamber," Sho proclaimed. Natsu sighed and took in a deep breath. "Of course it's at the top, why wouldn't it be."

Gray looked to Natsu and spoke. "We should split up, that way we can cover more ground," He spoke as he looked to Natsu. "What are you looking at me for?" Natsu questioned the raven-haired mage. Gray groaned a bit, but he begrudgingly spoke out again.

"You seem to have taken the lead in this, so what do you say?" Gray seemed to displeasure taking orders, but for Erza he would most definitely bare with it. "So you finally give in to my superiority, good," Natsu made a slight smirk as Gray huffed.

"Jack ass," Gray murmured under his breath, But Natsu heard it. "Gray, you go with Simon. Sho, go with Lucy and Juvia," Natsu said as Lucy made a questionable look. "But that leaves you alone," Lucy said with distress. Natsu gave a bored expression. But nonetheless explained. "It's better that way, unless someone just wants to talk my ear off," Natsu aggravated explained.

"Don't worry about Natsu, Luce. He's the least likely one here to get beat," Gray said to Natsu's surprise. It would seem Gray did not completely have it out for him. Almost like he was turning soft, but that would not be the case.

"Okay then, let's do this with the least amount of casualties as possible. Alright?" Natsu finally asked. "Right." The others yelled out as they went their separate ways. But Natsu stopped Sho before he could continue. "Card guy, you better not get a change of heart, you hear me," Natsu said plain and clear. It was obvious to Sho what would happen if he did not head Natsu's threat. Not that he would though.

"No worries, I'm in all the way," Sho said as Natsu let him go.

Natsu looked at the large door and figured he was going to face the hardest opponent, I mean, they are always behind the big doors. Right?

* * *

The Throne Room...

Erza pushed Jellal away as he tried to kiss her lips. "What's the matter, scared. Well, I'm sorry, but you don't have a choice here," Jellal grinned as Erza scowled. Her tears seemed to be replaced by a hatred that was coagulated from the years of pushing down her feelings.

"You think I'll forget, I'll never forget. You killed Simon all those years ago. You're the reason for their suffering." Erza bellowed in a deep and almost foreign voice. Jellal frowned as he stood up. He then grew a scowl on his face. Then with a sudden jolt, Jellal kicked the handcuffed Erza in the jaw as she fell to the ground.

"You think it was easy! No no no no! You'll see! Zeref chose me! And I will save my lord!" Jellal manically laughed, he was lost. It was so much worse than before, and Erza could not believe this was the Jellal from before. The one that killed Simon had at least seemed more, intact.

But now he was fractured, broken, and it would seem there was only one thing she could do. She would have to kill him. "Can't you see what you've done. You were a slave too Jellal! And now you're the one that carries the whip!" Erza shouted in attempts to reason with him.

"Shut the hell up! I have created a perfectly crafted plan. And there is nothing you can do. Because before the night's end. You will die." Jellal said as he grabbed Erza's arm and roughly dragged her to her feet. "Bastard!" Erza said as she spits in his face.

Jellal with a steaming fury cocked back a fist and punched Erza straight in the face on the left cheekbone. She fell to her hands and knees and breathed out as blood came from her cheek. "You will learn respect. Because you should be grateful to be chosen for the ceremony," Jellal bitterly spoke.

"You hear me!" Jellal said as he screamed out. He kicked Erza again. She fell once more. But then got to her feet steadily. She had determination in her eyes. Jellal, on the other hand, seemed to twitch a little and had a crazed look to him. He was like a wild beast.

Jellal clenched his teeth. But then he felt a shift, it was a source of magic he had felt once before. Jella seemed to calm himself completely and went back to his cool demeanor. It was twisted, and he seemed as though he could snap back at any moment.

"It would seem that your friends have come to die, hey will all die Erza. And it will be because of you." Jellal grinned from ear to ear and then he went over to a lacrima that glowed with an eerie green radiance. He then spoke into the lacrima.

And thus the game began.

* * *

1 hour...

"Hello, I am Jellal. And welcome to my game. You are all a part of this game of mine, and who can know which side will win." Everyone in the tower could hear the voice of the blue-haired man. "There are two teams here today. One with six pieces, and the other with four. And don't forget, that in the next hour. Ethirion will fire down on this tower."

For a moment everyone froze. What the fuck is this guy playing at? Natsu thought as he walked down the large hall. He's trying to kill us all. "I guess I'll have to be quick about this," Natsu said as he started to run down the path.

"Let the game begin." With those final words, the offensive team seamed to double there pace to try and save Erza.

With Gray and Simon, they entered a large prison area. There were tons of slaves still locked in there. The smell of death was pungent in the air. Gray got choked up by the smell when they walked in. "These people, we have to do something," Gray said as he looked into a cell that held a few teenagers along with a few elderly. In the cell was a rotting corpse of someone who had not made it.

"This is, jesus," Gray could not for words to describe how he felt. "Are there any keys around here?" Gray asked looking to the tall man. Simon gave a look of deep thought as he tried to recall if there was a key room anywhere around here. "The only place we keep the keys is on one floor above us over on the other side.

"Damnit, I'll try my magic," Gray stated as he formed a spike of ice and slammed it into the lock. The lock of the door bent inward, but it did not break yet. With another chink at the lock, it broke and Gray opened the door. The people inside seemed to have a mixture of joy and fear. They were happy to have an out. But we're scared to leave as well. or fear of getting caught.

"You can come out, I'm a mage from Fairy tail. I will protect you," He said as some of them stood on there thin and weak legs. "Simon, keep a lookout. I'm going to free the others," Simon was grateful in this moment that he never visited the prison sector. Therefore, they had no idea he was a part of all this.

"Thank you so much, you kind people. But there are strong forces in this tower. Are you two enough to save us from them?" An elderly man with long and thin white hair. "We are not the only ones. We have for others here as well. We came to save our friend, but I won't leave you good people behind either," Gray said.

He had already broken four other cells. Bt there were two levels of cells and there were still a hundred cells to check. For the next ten minutes, he checked every cell in the prison ward. He would have to guess there were over a hundred of them. He would have a hard time getting them off the island. But he would try his damnedest.

"Everyone, you'll have to follow to get out of here. Stick close together," Gray finished as he nodded to Simon. They found themselves back at the main hall.

"What should we do about them, should they stay here until we get Erza?" Gray questioned. "I don't know for the moment, we only have fifty minutes to save Erza. We can't risk them staying here," Simon said as he looked at all the people that were depending on them to get off the island.

"You won't have to worry about them getting off when you haven't got a breath," A figure said as he hung from the ceiling. Simon froze up at the sound of the voice. It was one of the assassins tat Jellal hired, he was unsure if they could take him. The man spoke in a deep voice. But they could not see him. The ceiling was dark and there was no sign of a man. But the voice had come from somewhere in the room.

"Show yourself, coward," Gray said as he took a battle stance. "Everyone, get out of here! We'll come to get you once it's safe!" Gray yelled out as he stared around the room. The slaves left the room through the door they came through. Gray hoped they did not linger close, or they could get hurt.

"No matter, they can be dealt with later," The man said in a somber voice. He was cool and collected. But they could not see him. How can I not see him, there was nowhere to hide in the room. "You could spend all day in here, and you will never see me," He spoke softly.

Gray and Simon stood back to back and waited for the attack.

* * *

September 9, X784, Era

"But that's madness, the repercussions could be catastrophic!" Sage Org said. Siegrain's plan to use the ethirion was madness. Gran Doma was on leave for the moment and it would seem that this was the perfect chance for him to reveal his plan. His work was complete.

"The power of the ethirion is not to be underestimated, it will kill every being for miles around the R-system. Are you prepared to face that?" Yahima said as he eyed the blue-haired counselor. His red tattoo under his right eye was ever more alluring. And Yahima could feel something as wrong.

"Everyone please, you have to listen to reason. My brother, he is insane. His plan will no dought cause more destruction than the ethirion ever would," Siegrain said with a serious expression plastered to his face. "You must vote with me to rid the world of his plan," Siegrain said as counselor Ultear raised her hand in the process.

"And I will stand prepared to bear the burden of what this will bring," Siegrain smirked a moment as one more counselor raised a hand in favor of the firing.

* * *

The Tower of Heaven, 45 minutes...

Gray watched carefully and then he saw a small flash of black streek across a part of the ceiling. "Come on you coward, fight like a man!" Gray shouted as he continued his search. "One who hides is not always a coward, but rather one who seeks prey," The man said as Gray felt a presence beside him. **Ice-Make Lance!**

Gray shot a lance to his left and then the figure became clear. The man did a backflip and avoided the spike of ice. He wore a black face cover and black robes with bandages wrapped around his forearms and shins. He wore black boots that were quite when he stepped. They must have been padded.

"You could sense my presence, that's not half bad. I'm Rullen, a member of Trinity Raven," Rullen said confidently as he became translucent again. If you were very careful, you could see the faintest outline of his body. But then it disappeared. Gray spun around as he tried to find him once more.

"I know what your magic is, you may hide yourself, but you can't completely," Gray said as he looked around. But then he felt a quick jab to the leg as he was kicked. And then once again as he felt a punch to the face. Gray was knocked back, but he stood his ground.

**Ice-Make Sword!** Gray then formed a sword in his hand that was thin and light. Easy to move around and not all too long, probably not over two feet in length.

"Gray, I'm going to use my magic. Just stay still," Simon said as he formed a magic circle. **Dark Moment!** He cried out as the room went blacker than midnight. But for Simon, it was fine. But he could see that outline of Rullen, due to his magic creating a faint silhouette in the dark magic.

"Simon attempted to run and charge Rullen who was crouching on the wall. But then he saw the figure leap from the wall and struck him. The darkness vanished and Gray could see that Simon was being stabbed. He could not see the blade, but he could see the blood coming from the wound. Then once more Rullen was out of sight.

"Simon, hold on!" Gray ran to the downed man and looked at the wound. It was deep and he could see the blood that was coming out. It would bleed him out if he didn't do something. "Can you move?" Gray asked as he looked around once more. "Yes, but why?" Simon said as Gray looked to the door over in the corner of the room.

"I want you to watch over the others, but I need you to forgive me first," Gray said as Simon looked at him with an almost dumbfounded look. "Forgive you for wha...ahhhahhaaah!" Simon screamed as Gray froze the wound in his gut. Whether it hurts more to freeze or to burn a wound, either way, the pain is excruciatingly painful.

"Come on, get up," Gray said as he grabbed Simon's sweaty hand. "Sorry I could not have been more helpful, I'm useless," Simon said downtrodden. "You will serve a purpose, and that is to protect those prisoners," Gray gave him an assured smile as he helped Simon to his feet. The large men lumbered to the door.

"No, you don't!" Rullen yelled as he shot at Simon. Gray ran over and then conjured a spell. **Ice-Make Wall!** The wall was formed right behind Simon and went all the way to the ceiling, it blocked his escape. Gray saw the ice that broke when Rullen jumped off of it. It fell to the ground with a thud. The entire front of the room was blocked off to them as the wall of ice grew.

"Impressive, ice mage. But your tricks will not save you from the darkness. For the dark is an assassin's best friend," Rullen said as he seemed to be the air itself. Gray then shot off a spell. **Ice-Make Canon!** Gray shouted as he shot the canon off multiple times on the right wall of the room.

"You seem to not be understanding me, I told you you will never find me like that," Rullen said sounding almost vexed. "Well if you would show yourself, I wouldn't have to do that," Gray said. He was going to find a way to beat this guy. But luckily for him, this Rullen seemed to not be too aggressive with his attack.

Rullen sprinted off the left wall and toward Gray, Gray turned around and shot off a blast from his canon and then dropped it and proceeded to pick up his sword. It was melted a bit, but when he picked it up it froze solid again. Gray turned to his instincts on this one and stepped back. He managed to avoid the blade that swung in front of his face.

Then it hit Gray what he could do. He blew from his mouth some frozen air particles and created snow. The snow-covered Rullen's figure which Gray then jabbed the ice blade at. However, rullen blocked the blade and it broke the ice. Gray jumped back but Rullen leaped and kicked Gray in the chest and then quickly jabbed the short katana blade into Gray's left shoulder. Gray blared out a yell from the stab. He faltered back as the figure followed him.

**Ice-Make** **Knives****! **Gray yelled out as a barrage of razor-sharp ice flew through the air and Rullen dodged the ice and disappeared into the shadows. Gray then put a hand over his shoulder and froze the shallow wound. He grimaced a second before he remembered he was in a fight.

He would have to keep on his toes, this guy was hard to follow. Gray then analyzed his current situation. This guy seemed to just be a normal assassin that could become transparent. But he would have to see if this man had other tricks up his sleeve.

Then three daggers were thrown at Gray, he managed to dodge to the left, but his right shoulder was cut from a dagger. Another barrage of three came from his back, Gray threw his body to the ground as the daggers flew over him and stuck into the ground.

He was getting pissed of by this guy, he was some type of ninja or something. And he hated this kind of opponent. The sneaky type. Then all of a sudden, Gray was hit with an idea. He may not be able to see the man. But if the air was cold enough, he would see the breath.

And so, Gray summoned his ice magic to his fingertips.** Ice-Make Room!** He shouted as everything in the room was coated in ice. Even the large banquet table was covered in a thick layer of ice. Then, Gray used his magic to drastically cool down the air around him. Until it was below zero degrees.

The air was frosty and bitter and Gray had seemingly done away with his clothes by now. He was now just adorning his black boxers. Then something lit up in Gray's head and so he cast one more spell to change the battlefield's environment. This would turn the tide for him.

**Ice-Make Storm!** Gray said as he created the new spell. It started to snow and the wind started blowing. The large dining hall was now a frozen tundra and Gray was in his element. Gray searched around in the snow and then he found the breath he was looking for. "Found you," Gray said as he saw the breaths coming from Rullen.

Gray charged as Rullen released his transparency. **Ice-Make Sword!** Gray formed a sword in his hand as he slammed it into his opponent blade. They exchanged multiple stikes from the sword. But then Gray's sword was knocked from his hand. He jumped back and cast a spell.** Ice-Make Lance!** He shouted as the lances thrust out. Rullen jumped and twisted in the air and avoided contact with the spears.

Gray then found his ice sword and slashed once again at the man. Rullen blocked and then kicked Gray in the gut and knocked him into the now deep snow. Rullen ran through the snow and to the hole Gray created and found that Gray was no longer there.

There was a moment of realization before he heard the call. **Ice-Make Hammer!** Gray quickly slammed the hammer down. However, Rullen proved his swordsmanship when he sliced the hammer in half. The large chunk of ice was then dropped into the snow as Gray released the rest of the weapon.

Rullen ran at Gray as the snowstorm blared on. He sliced into Gray and chopped him in half. But to his surprise, it was a nice clone. RUllen mused. It would seem his tactics were being used against him. Impressive indeed. But it was apparent that Gray's combat skills were subpar to his own.

"Ha, very clever," Rullen spoke softly. Gray then appeared from the snow and threw and attack. **Ice-Make Geyser!** Gray bellowed as he ran and pounded his fists to the ground and Rullen was swallowed by the swath of ice. Rullen flew through the air away from the Geyser and threw five daggers that landed in the snow at Gray's feet. Then another round of daggers found themselves scaping Gray's cheek as he took a dive. He dove into the snow and Rullen lost sight of Gray.

Rullen landed on the powdery snow and he immediately concaved the snow. He fell into a pit in the snow. He had not noticed because of the fight, but the room was slowly being filled by the snow. Gray out of a tunnel in the ice and kicked Rullen. But the shinobi blocked with his forearms and the landed on his hands and somersaulted back to his feet while throwing three daggers in the process. It would seem to Gray that he could use some sort of requiping abilities.

He seemed to never run out of daggers and being an assassin. He must have perfected requip without making a flash of light or sound. "You are skilled ice mage, but even when you swap our positions in this battle. I'll still prevail." Rullen vanished with his magic and appeared behind Gray. He had a dagger in his hand ad he swung at Gray.

Gray caught the hand and fell to the ground with Rullen on top of him. Rullen with all his might was trying to push the dagger into Gray's heart, but the raven-haired mage resisted. Gray kneed Rullen in the groin as the shinobi doubled over. Gray kicked the man into the snow and jumped away as Rullen got up and held his pulsating testicles.

"God damn you, you played dirty," Rillen said as he slowly recovered. But Gray would not let this chance escape him and he launched a volley of lances. He then thought of an idea. **Ice-Make Knuckles!** The raven-haired mage had his fists covered in ice and he thrust his body forward.

He slammed his fist into Rullen's block, but the shinobi was knocked back. Rullen pulled back his ninjato. He swung at the ice mage and leaped over Gray. He swung down at him. But Gray punched the sword with his ice-covered fist and Rullen's sword flew from his hands. Gray then punched Rullen twice. Once in the kidneys. And the second one in the ribs.

Rullen bent over and flipped over from his position. Gray leaped and attempted to punch the shinobi once more. But Rullen threw another round of daggers and Gray managed to block one with his ice-covered fist. Gray then launched a spell. **Ice-Make Lance! **The lances shot out and Rullen launched himself into the air and then he threw a smoke bomb.

Gray lost sight and searched. But there was something wrong with the gas. He started to choke as he realized it then. Gray coughed out some blood as he confirmed to himself that the gas was poisonous. He fell to his knee's feeling weak and dizzy. Everything seemed to be fading and wobbly.

"It seems that even in with the advantage, you still aren't quite there yet," Rullen sad as Gray tried to stay conscious. But he held firm as he heard the increasingly more distant voice of the shinobi. He cursed his ignorance and cockiness. He could have easily got out of the gas cloud in time. But he stayed nonetheless, and now look.

Rullen had his sword in hand and hung from the ceiling and waited for the dissipating gas to leave. this would be another for the books. But this one was better than most he had ever had. This battle had tested his flexibility immensely, and it seemed he would live to tell the tale.

And so he charged at the downed Gray and sliced. But there was a fatal flaw in his plan, and as he turned to see his end. He realized he had been too quick to assume a situation. He stared at the incoming attack and thought back to the last time he was beaten, many years before he had mastered his assassination technique.

**Ice-Make Arrows!** The spell hit Rullen full force and he was pelted with a multitude of small ice arrows. However, even blood, he was still in shape enough to fight. The shinobi leaped the threw daggers and then rolled into a sweep kick. Gray was swiped from his feet and to the snow.

Gray the quickly bucked and landed to his feet. He cast a spell. **Ice-Make Canon!** He leaned back and the round shot off. Rullen scrambled to dodge. But by the time he did Gray had come and kicked him in the chest. The shinobi then flipped and dropped a multitude of explosive gunpowder balls.

Gray protected himself with an ice shield. The heat melted the outer layer of his defense but he persisted. He assaulted Rullen with a barrage of arrows. **Ice-Mke Arrows! **Rullwn dived under the attack and somehow he found himself at Gray's feet and he pulled.

Gray slid down and was stabbed in the left leg with a dagger. The blade inserted itself all the way inside his thigh and he screamed out with a slight gurgle. The blood was pumping out and the stinging was immense. He knew this wound would impair his walking for a long time to come. Maybe even years.

Gray kicked the shinobi in the face to break him away. But not before the shinobi ribbed the blade from Gray's leg and he felt an excruciating pain like no other in his life. His leg spurted blood and he could see the bone. Luckily for him though, the dagger scraped the side of his femur and did not brake it.

Gray stumbled and huffed into a standing position and he held his teeth tight. He placed his shaking hands over the deep stab and hesitated. He then with a grimace and a sound like a demon being exorcised. He froze the wound and he felt the frostbite in his leg.

With all his might, Gray ran at the stumbling shinobi. Rullen punched left and then right. Gray blocked and uppercut the man. Rullen kicked Gray in the shin and avoided a hit to the jaw. Gray formed his magic and he cried out with his might. **Ice-Make!**

Gray formed two spikes of ice, one from his left elbow and one on his right hand. He sliced up, he sliced right and across. Then down, and across the left and up the right. And a final slash from the right and a spinning left to slash. **Seven Slice Dance!** Gray formed a bowing position as his opponent fell to the ground face first and was bleeding profusely from seven slashes in his body.

"Shows you that I don't have the skill, bastard," Gray smirked and then groaned out as he stopped releasing his magic. The room was covered in at least six feet of snow by the end of the fight. It stopped snowing when Gray had been poisoned. He lost focus of the spell.

He felt his lungs telling him off, and his leg told him that he would burst into flame. The ice, even if he was an ice mage. Hurt like a bitch, it would hold it for the moment. Gray hobbled over to the door as the snow and ice rapidly melted due to his inactive use. It seemed as if the ice remembered that this room had not been cold after all. And so it faded away, just like Gray's opponent.

The door seemed so far when he felt ever step as a major accomplishment. But Gray finally made it and he yelled to Simon. "I did it! I beat him! Hello?!" Gray yelled, but he heard no response. He became fearful, because of his condition. He would be unable to hold of another person. Especially if they were as good as the shinobi guy.

But his worries were quenched when he heard the familiar voice of Simon. "Were all here, is he gone?" Simon asked as Gray sighed with relief and stumbled down the hall.

25 minutes...

* * *

55 minutes...

Lucy and Juvia made the subtle talk as they searched the halls with Sho in the lead. He was trying to lead them around without having to face any conflict. And so they followed him. Lucy was not quite sure about the stranger, it was not long before that he was an enemy.

And so she was on guard around him. It would seem that he was the reason for their smooth path, otherwise, they would have gotten lost by now. They would have to trust he was leading them the right way. It seemed to Lucy that this whole thing was quite confusing, there was something about this that was out of place.

Or rather that there was a piece missing from the puzzle. Something about the vibe this godawful place gave off. It made her uneasy, and not just the fact that they might have to fight an enemy.

The halls were steely bitter and gave off a noxious scent. The air was foul indeed. But it would seem that Juvia was no help either. She seemed to not be much of a talker, and that was what Lucy needed right now. But she carried on in the dreadful place.

There was something about the tower that was horribly corrupt and construed. Maybe it was her imagination getting to her, but there was a lingering feeling. She could not put a finger on it though. They walked up into a large room that was filled with large markings on the walls.

There were etched in the surface and seemed to look like runes. "What is this place?" Luc asked the blond-haired man. SHo looked back and gave a shrug. "It's just a side corridor. We need to keep moving," He said as he moving ever onward. Lucy was not satisfied with the answer.

But then again, maybe he didn't know. "Juvia would like to know where we're going?" The water mage piped in as SHo once again turned. "To the top, but we are trying to avoid a fight. So we're going the long way," Sho explained. Juvia and Lucy looked at each other and then back to the man.

It was him, he was the problem it would seem. Something he was not saying that made it all too obvious there was something going on. "Where are you really taking us?" Lucy bolted out taking a defensive stance. All of a sudden a figure leaped from nowhere as Sho walks slowly behind.

Sho started to chuckle to himself and he then started to fully laugh. He looked up and he now had lines on his face. They were red, and there were three lines around the length of his head. His is eyes were black and soulless, while he continues to laugh out.

"You girls just thought to trust any stranger that says they will help, well then you were stupider than I had thought," The other man said as he grinned.

* * *

45 minutes...

Natsu had been wandering the empty hall and rooms, but it seemed his search was endless. He was bored out of his mind, and it had already been fifteen minutes since the announcement. He would run out of time before he even kicked in that smug look on Jellal's face.

That prick was a real asshole. He had met him before only once, but it was clear to him that he didn't like him. Even if Ultear was the one doing it all. Damn woman, she was a real pain. And right now Natsu just wanted to get the fuck off this tower before it gets blown sky-high.

Natsu then felt what he had been looking for. And through a large and noticeable door no less. There was something out of place about the room as well. It almost seemed peaceful in the zen looking room. There were a large pond and a wooden bridge in the center that lead to another door. But there was an obstacle in the midst.

There was a gracefully elegant woman standing with her eyes closed. But Natsu knew that it did not take away from her keen sense and acute focus. She knew he was here. Natsu closed the door and walked toward her and stopped twenty meters from the woman.

She is dressed in a long and slightly loose white kimono with a red and black striped sash. There is a flaming skull motif and her kimono is pulled down enough to show cleavage. She has light pink hair and a black spot under each eye. She carried a long odachi that had a red hilt and sheath. It had an ornamental pommel on the end.

The silence was suddenly broken by her deep and beautiful voice. It was deadly and seductive all wrapped together. "So someone was brave enough to meet me head-on, I commend you." She spoke with her eyes still closed. Natsu said nothing as he stared blankly.

She opened her eyes and there seemed to be a small amount of shock in her eyes before it was swiftly snuffed out. He was not sure if he had met her before, but by her reaction, she may know who he was.

"You seem very sure of yourself, your eyes can tell the whole story," She said with a smirk as she eyed him. "You're from Deaths Head Caucus, aren't you," Natsu said as more of a statement than a question. Ikaruga seemed surprised that he knew of her organization.

"Color me impressed, but no matter. You'll not be alive to tell. But it is a shame to kill someone pretty as yourself," She said the focused eyes. She lightly gripped the handle of her blade and waited. "Okay, now that you've got that over with. I'll give you an option. Get out of my way, or I'll have to hurt ya," Natsu said in a deep tone.

"Let me think, hmm. Doesn't seem like I have much of a choice," Ikaruga said with a smirk and she closed her eyes and stepped forward. She brung out her blade a few inches out of the sheath and then slammed it back in. There was a crackling sound as Natsu could feel and wave coming toward him.

He leaned back and fell to his back in time to miss a barrage of air currents that looked harmless. But he looked back at the wall behind him and saw that the cuts were deep. Natsu leaped up and rocketed to the woman, ready for battle.

* * *

"Please reason with me, we must vote together as a unified body if we are to make decisions for the greater good," Siegrain said as he looked over the counselors. He was sure they were having second thoughts about joining his side, but all he needed was to get five more votes.

And then finally the plan would turn into fruition. It would be hard to have accomplished this without the resources he had from being a member of the council. But it was now or never, and the only thing in his way was a few pesky mages. And so he could imagine the problems would soon be dissolved.

"Do you really think this is for the better good, knowing what we discovered from the other towers. We know that there are prisoners!" Yajima shouted; he had enough of the fool non-sense counselor Siegrain was spilling. He would cause the council great devastation.

"It's the only way, do you know really what he is up to?" Siegrain formed a scowl. Ultear perked up at this. This had to be good, she thought under a forced grim look. "What could he possibly do that is worse, we know that the R-system is dangerous. But is it really worth this?" Sage Org

"You don't understand, the system... He plans... To bring back the dark wizard... Zeref," Siegrain says

There were gasps and terrified gasps at this revelation. The dark lord himself, could it be possible? This was something they were asking themselves. And it would be certain they never expected to deal with such a fiasco. "This can't be true Siegrain, please tell us this is some mix-up," counselor Michello asked with cowardly desperation.

"I'm afraid I don't jest, this situation is grim, and I don't want to take any chances. So please vote with me," His inspired words made three counselors raise their hands with certainty. This was going perfectly, only two more left.

The world was ready to be rocked, and he would be at the forefront. Or so he thought.

* * *

September 5, X784, Random castle in Fiore. Two days before...

"Are you sure you saw he had it?" The man said with subtle fury in his voice.

"Yes, it was clear as day. But what confuses me the most is how he acquired it in the first place. This was the only artifact that was unknown to us," The woman with long curly white hair said. She frowned and looked at her feet. She knew how the master was about screwing up, and she hoped he might just let her off for discovering the existence of the pendant. But there was a feeling he was going to show her no mercy.

The man stood tall from his throne and walked around his stone desk. His eyes were piercing and focused. His presence brimming with energy and a will to conquer all in its path. He was quite tall at a height of six foot four. He lumbered over her like a giant and starred into her silvery eyes.

"You expect me to believe that he just happened to have found it, and you didn't even attempt to recover it," His voice was gruff and on edge. "You Aeolus seemed to have been getting distracted as of late," The man said as he looked at Aeolus. It was clear to her she had been foolish to let a petty crush get in the way of her work. And now the master would punish her.

"Master, may I be given a chance to explain myself?" Aeolus asked as she put an unemotional face on. In the back of her mind, she was panicked. And to any normal man, she would have looked fine. But she there was no hiding from the master's will to know. He could find out a man's deepest fears and desires by looking into his eyes. And a woman's likewise.

The man performed an about-face and looked to the rose window behind his throne. "Very well, I see no harm," He said in a calm voice.

"I have indeed been distracted, master Azrael. But believe me when I say it was for no reason other than silly attraction. I failed to approach because I felt, how to put it. I did not feel like hurting him," She ended her talk knowing full well that he would not let her get off easy.

The master turned his head tot he left and looked at me with a livid expression that made me know fear once. "Attraction?" He said as his face softened and then turned into a subtle smirk. He cracked a laugh from his usually stoic demeanor and turned to face me.

"Well I guess it is only natural, emotions are fickle creatures," Azrael said picking at his fingers. His face had resumed a stoic look. "I suppose you will escape pain today. But know that if, attraction gets in your way again. Well. I'll just have to give you a reason to get distracted," He leaned closer and spoke into her ear.

"So don't you forget. Now leave me," He bellowed out as he went to take his rightful place in his throne. Aeolus looked a moment longer and turned on her heel to exit the door to the main cathedral hall. When she closed the heavy door she let out a long need sigh.

She had been around the master many times before. But never in a situation where she as the victim in a questioning. It was as intense as Aegaeon had once told. He was the trouble maker around here even though he only screwed up twice. They were not too major, but he still had the scar from the second time he failed.

The master was usually level headed in nature. And the only thing in his eyes that was reprimandable was mistakes and betrayal. Usually, he would let you off if you have made a simple mistake because he says it is part of life. But when it came to betrayal. He did not tolerate it.

You never have a warning, but if you betray the master. You die. Plain and simple as that. He treated those who were loyal and faithful well. ANd those who knew the master knew he was as honorable as any light guild wizard. Probably even more than them. For him, it was not about money and fame. It was about loyalty and respect for him. He was satisfied to have a group that followed him to the letter and without fail of course.

Aeolus was taken out of her daze from the voice of Hegemone. "So how did it go?" She said in a graceful voice. Aeolus said nothing and gave a certain look that told everything. "That bad huh, well no sweat right?" Hegemone asked as she perked her eyebrow up curiously.

"I suppose so, I have not a scratch on me," Aeolus told as she walked toward the green-haired woman.

"So what exactly did you do to get the master in a mood, we could all feel it when you were in there that he was aggravated. His magic fluctuated," Hegemone spoke as she recalled feeling a slight difference in his magic, but for them. it felt immense.

"I discovered the location of an artifact on my last outing, but It was in the hands of someone," Aeolus said as she and Hegemone walked over to the upstairs. "You'll have to tell me when we get to my quarters, I'm rather interested.," The green-haired woman said.

The pair walked to the right into a hallway that leads to a balcony and also to two different rooms. The left room was slightly ajar and they walked in as Hegemone shut the door. They at a small table and Aeolus spoke once more. "To be more precise a man was in the field for hours looking for it,"

"Why was it in the field in the first place?" Hegemone asked. "Well, I believe he had loft it a perhaps. But the point was that I did not confront him because I had met him before. Do you remember when I went out to help that with that silly squabble for wizard saint Jose?" Aeolus asked.

"Yes, of course, you said you had not helped in any way. So what's the connection?" Hegemone asked as she stared down the silver-eyed woman.

"It was the same wizard I met from the battle, even though I did not fight him. He was cute though and when I saw him again, I didn't want to really fight him. So I left back to base," The white-haired maiden said as she ran her fingers through her long wavy locks of hair.

Hegemone seemed to be having an internal discussion with herself. But at the same time, she seemed to be holding back a barrage of laughter. "You didn't take it because of a handsome man, that seemed childish even for you. So what did he look like?" Hegemone asked.

"He was young, probably around twenty. He had a familiar detached persona like the master, but he had this light pink hair. He seemed nice enough though, but what really got me going was that he was innocent. And so I sort of seduced him but he passed out," Aeolus said with a straight face.

But Hegemone was giggling. This was too good, all the time she spent up here had made anything she heard seem way better than it was. But this was really something for her. It was funny to see Aeolus like this. Even though she did not look at it. She could tell her friend was embarrassed to tell this all to her.

"But most of all, I was attracted to his smell. He was a dragon slayer," Aeolus finally said as Hegemone made a look that told she understood everything. "See that makes sense, why didn't you tell me that sooner?" Hegemone asked her in a bright tone.

For us females, we were always more attuned to be attracted to other dragon slayers than normal humans. That was just nature. And maybe even though I did not tell the master that the man was a dragon slayer, maybe he knew already when I told him.

"Well that's enough for now, come on. Let's talk to the others," Hegemone said as she and Aeolus walked out of her quarters.

* * *

Azrael sighed as he looked out the rose window behind his throne and admired the many colors of stained glass. It seemed that it was helpless to punish such things as a carnal attraction. He could understand how she would fawn over a newfound dragon slayer like a fresh piece of meat.

The snow was piling up outside the cathedral sanctum. It was high in the mountains where no one would go unless they had a reason. Even then the chance of finding the castle hidden in the snow. And so he would admire the quaint solitude of his throne room.

It was troubling times ahead for him if he could not keep under wraps the artifacts. And he could not risk losing a single one of them. For they were the key to his dreams.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Thanks for your patience, I had gone hunting last weekend again and I'm busy during the week. But no worry, I have nothing planned this weekend and hope to pump out a chapter real soon after this one. Anyway. This chapter was a little slower feeling and I know that. **

**But it will ramp up in the next chapter for sure. **

**Make sure to leave criticism of what you thought of the chapter and please tell me anything you think I can improve on. **

**Now hold onto your horses, because next up is. Chapter 12!**


	12. You Can't Always Get What You Want

**I do not own Fairy Tail, that belongs solely to Hiro Mashima. **

**Hello and welcome back to chapter 12. I hope you liked the last one and I'm sure you'll like this one too. One the other side of things. This chapter is the breaking point for 100K words. ****Yeah! Finally, you can use the filter for 100k words and my story will be up there. Anyway, as usual. **

**Feel free to leave comments and advice on what I can do better. And make sure to leave any criticism for me as well. I like to know what you guys think. And in turn, it makes me a better writer.**

**Enjoy the Story!**

* * *

Chapter 12: You Can't Always Get What You Want

September 9, X784, Tower of Heaven

50 minutes...

Juvia ducked and rolled from the attacker. At the same time, she released an attack. **Water Slicer!** The whip-like torrent went to cut the man. But he catapulted himself to the right and escaped the razor-sharp water. "You know chicky, you'll have to do better than that," The man said in a sarcastic growl.

Lucy ran over to help her friend, but Sho caught up to her and threw a barrage of cards at her. She ducked down and the cards flew over her head with a red glow surrounding them. "Sho! what's going on, what about saving your friend Erza?" Lucy said hastily as she darted around another attack from the man in the red suit.

"You have no control girl, he's mine now," The other man said with a wicked grin. Lucy looked at him and saw the expression and felt disgusted, he was somehow controlling Sho, she knew it.

"Who are you!?" Juvia yelled out as she too avoided a possibly fatal blow from the man. "My name, well I suppose it can't hurt. I'm from Trinity Raven, and I am known as Crimson," The man said. He wore a black suit with a white button-up and a red tie. And lastly black dress shoes.

He looked like a businessman except for the short cut dark red hair he adorned. His eyes were also red and that seemed to be a similar thing to what happened to Sho. Crimson also carried a magic gun.

Crimson leaped to the air and shot down to Juvia. He shot three times and the magic bullets expanded and created magic seals. **Crimson Shot!** He yelled out as the shots turned red and shot out red fire. They came in hard and fast but JUvia created a sphere of water.

**Water Sphere!** She cried out as the water flowed around her in time to cover her whole body. The fire burned out as soon as it made contact with the water and Juvia released the spell as she ran over to Crimson's landed position.

Lucy grabbed the keys on her belt and called out a familiar name. **Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!** There was golden light and a large cow man appeared. "Hello miss Lucy, how can I be of service to a pretty lady such as yourself?" Taurus called out as he took a bowing stance.

"I need you to beat that guy in the red suit, but don't hurt him too badly. He's being controlled somehow," Lucy finished as Taurus charged the man with his ax a'swingin. The ax flew around in a few strokes but Sho seemed to be very agile. Sho ran and threw a card that was red and black and Taurus blocked it with his ax. But when it hit, it exploded sending back the bull.

"Are you okay?" Lucy questioned her spirit. Taurus regained his composer and stood tall. "Yes Miss Lucy, I'm all right," He said with a deep voice. Taurus ran over ad held the ax high. She also ran toward the enemy with his attack readied.

Juvia saw from the corner of her eye the man in red and a bull clashing as she got out of the way of another shot. Juvia tried to dodge another one when she was hit full force. She collapsed for a moment but got up with a burning sensation in her side.

"You girls should give it up right now, you have no chance!" Crimson said with a laugh, he fired off round rapidly that hit Juvia a few more times. She fell to a knee as he walked in front of her. He stood and reached into his pocket which confused her greatly. He pulled out a golden pocket watch.

He then swung it back and forth and as soon as she realized what was happening it was too late. Juvia could feel her mind slipping as she too then glowed red eyes like Sho. Crimson whispered in her ear and Juvia rose to her feet. Juvia turned her head to Lucy who was too busy with her fight to notice what happened.

**Water Slicer!** Juvia released the torrent and it hit Taurus. Lucy almost let her jaw drop when she saw her spirit blown against the wall by Taurus. "What are you..." Lucy cut herself off when she saw those glowing eyes. She knew immediately what happened.

"Snap out of it! Juvia, it's me, Lucy!" Lucy dodged an attack from the water mage as she realized the nightmare she walked into.

* * *

20 minutes, Top of the tower...

Jellal cursed to himself as he watched the lacrima. This did not forbode well for the blue-haired man. He would have to make sure these miscreants he had hired would meet there punishment if they lived through this ordeal. The only one standing was the pink-haired swordswoman.

"See, they are coming for me. And you will know fear when they do," Erza smirked from her knees. She was restrained at the moment but she has been trying to the last few minutes to untie herself without drawing suspicion.

Jellal looked up to her with a scowl and saw that Erza had that bold grin on her face. This made him angrier than he thought it would. But something about the thought of that smirk being the last thing he sees caused him to feel unsettled. "No matter about the others. Your friends are worse for the wear, except the one," Jellal grimaced.

He knew all about salamander. He had spoken to him on multiple occasions. However, he did not know from experience if he was truly a force to be reckoned with as the stories tell. The underworld knows him as a ruthless beast that would chew you up and spit you out. But he would have to see for himself how such rumors held up to the real deal.

"You should know that Natsu will defeat you, we may have had a rough start. But I trust in him. And I know he won't let you walk unscathed," Erza said with conviction. She readied herself unbeknownst to Jellal.

Erza gave a confident grin. "That is if I don't bring you down first!" Erza rocketed from her spot on the floor and a bright light filled the air. **Requip: Purgatory Armor!** Erza came out from the light clad in the devil's attire. Some might even say she looked to be a demon herself.

Jellal leaped from his throne and smirked. "It would seem that you are no coward after all," Jellal spoke as he started to form a dark mass from his hand. The mass shot out and Erza swung her large club and cut the form in half. It dropped to the ground and crashed down hard. The floor seemed to crumble under the weight and showed the layer of material underneath.

Erza ran and raised her club over her left shoulder. Jellal once more formed the dark mass from his hands as Erza swung down and sliced it in half. But some of the mass went around the back and struck her in the back. She let a grimace spread on her lips as she regained her stance. She brought her club up and Jellal jumped back from the black club.

He let more of the dark magic flow from his hand and leaped back farther. Erza let out a growl as she charged the mass and chopped it into bits as it crashed down. Erza swung over from her position and stuck her boot on the ground to propel herself into the air.

She raised the club and swung as Jellal moved from the area of impact. The small crater formed from her club made it stick in the ground. But she easily pulled in out and kicked at Jellal. Jellal KIcked her leg to the side and jabbed her in the abdomen with a fist coated in dark magic.

"You should know that I was named a wizard saint for a reason. You know you can't win," Jellal smirked as he raised a hand and punched Erza in the chest. She raised her club and blocked the strike.

"Maybe you don't understand," Erza stated. "You should know I won't let that hinder me," Erza boldly acclaimed as she swung the club with more intensity than before. Jellal caught the club with his bare hand, he seemed to heave a little when he did.

"No, I don't understand. Why should you care? It's not like your friends care enough to come for you. At least one of them doesn't," Jellal grinned out as Erza scowled. The thought that her friends could care less unsettled her. If that was true then she truely must have mistaken their kindness for her own gain. Maybe he was right. But who could he be talking about?

Natsu came to mind, he was still new. And they came off the wrong way. Plus he's been awful distant to me especially. But would he truly not care. She found that hard to believe. She herself could not say anymore that she didn't care for the pink-headed dragon slayer.

He became a member of the guild and her family upon entry. And anyone would stick there neck out for him. She came back to her senses as Jellal merely wore a smug grin. Maybe this was what he wanted. He wanted me to be distracted. He planned to set me off and get the emotions flowing.

But he won't get to me. I can't let him. Else I will fail to get out of this place.

"Have you given up already, that a real shame. We were starting to have fun," The blue-haired man said. His poisonous voice all apparent. But Erza seemed to stir as he said this. And she brought a hardened gaze to her eyes that made Jellal give a more serious look.

"I won't let you torment me any longer. I wish I could spare you due to us being friends at one point. But It would seem I have no choice," Erza closed her eyes and gave out a final breath. She opened her eyes with an intense glare and charged faster and with more force than ever before.

Erza let out a yell as she swung the large club repeatedly. She brought it left and then right almost as soon as she had swung the other way. Jellal was shocked by the sudden outburst of ferocity. Erza kicked Jellal in the chest as he fell back to his hands. He jumped up quickly and they let out a spell.

There was a great dark orb that released from his hand that flew toward Erza faster than she could react to, and thus she was encaptured by the following explosion of energy. She let out a fierce groan as she felt a surge of pain pang threw her body. This had been different from the other attacks.

Something about the way it felt was off, and the color as well. It had been black, but also a layer of malevolent green underneath. She felt a pain that grew inside of her as she fell to her knees. She groaned out once more before looking at the smug face of Jellal. She then adorned a scowl on her previously unblemished face.

"You bastard! What... What did you do to me?" Erza gripped at her sides as they burned and stung. She could figure by now the action, but she wanted him to tell her. Jellal grinned at the sorrow sight with an almost gleeful expression before posturing before the downed knight.

"If you could not already tell, you have succumbed to a dose of poison. But don't worry, I wouldn't give you enough to die. You will just be incapacitated," Jellal smirked once more as he turned his back to Erza and walked to his throne.

But as he did so, Erza gruelingly lifted her figure to her feet. In doing so, Jella lost his smirk and was now annoyed by her persistence. She shakily lifted her club and with a smirk charged once more at Jellal. She swung as he ducked under the blow. He kicked at her legs to trip her but in doing so was himself kicked in the knee from Erza. He recovered his composure and thrust his fist at her chest. He gathered a swirl of green dark green energy as he mustered all his strength into the attack.

Erza hastily covered her self from the attack by blocking with her club. The red-haired maiden vigorously kicked the blue-haired man in the leg as he once more punched Erza. This time he landed a blow to the side and then another to the chest. He reclaimed his strength from Erza kicking him in the leg and continued his assault.

Jellal yelled out as he delivered a left hook and then a right jab. He continued by kicking her down to the ground and gathered more of the dark magic into his palm. He struck her square in the gut as she yelled out with pain. She clutched the spot of impact and groaned out. This was such a humiliating defeat. How could she let this happen? Was this her power? Was this the best she could muster? These thoughts of self-loathing circled in her head as her vision was blurred and the air once more grew foul with the smell of blood.

She coughed up blood as she looked at the darkening figure of Jellal who was no longer retaining that devilish smirk of his. He looked on her with a shroud of ire. "You should have stayed down before, now look at my sacrifice. All bloodied up as well," Jellal huffed out as he wiped some dirt from his otherwise pristine face as he once again walked from Erza.

"Jellal," Erza coughed out as she held onto her sides. He turned his head to look at her from his peripherals. "You will be defeated by the end. I trust in my friends, and you will know pain," Erza chuckled, and then almost instantly groaned from the pain. Her sides hurt every time she took a breath.

Jellal leered at her a moment more before turning his head and continuing to walk. "You will have the pleasure of seeing your friends in agony before they draw their last breath, so don't patronize me," Jellal grimaced as he left the room.

Erza once more indulged herself in a chuckle that she regretted. He seemed to have been knocked off his horse, and now she could tell that he was no longer taking this in a maniacal face. Maybe her words had gotten to him, or possibly it was that she resisted his poison a moment longer.

Erza laid her back against a wall and drew out an uneasy breath. She must try and retain some semblance of strength if she is to hold out and help her friends. But maybe she should leave it to her trusted comrades to finish what she started so long ago.

That was what made her so strong after all, and so Erza was left to her thoughts as she waited for her friends to come for her.

* * *

Tower of Heaven

Natsu leaped up and rocketed toward the swords-woman. Ikaruga once more swung her odachi that released a long slash. Natsu twisted his body in the air as the current grazed his face. Natsu landed in front of the woman and gave her an intense stare. She seemed to be taken aback by this and in that instant, he stuck her in the stomach with a small but condensed blast of fire that sent the woman flying back. She quickly rose back to her feet with her hair slightly messed up.

"You!" Ikaruga huffed as she seemed to be at a loss for words. She had a tick mark on her forehead, but then she calmed herself and regained her composure. She smirked as she spoke. "I would expect no less from the feared salamander. I have to say I never expected to see one such as you helping these Fairy Tail twerps," Ikaruga said as she looked slightly puzzled by her own question.

Natsu simply shrugged. "It is merely a situational compromise, I could care less about being here," Natsu said nonchalantly. Natsu positioned himself into a defensive stance as he examined his opponent. He could tell that the pink-haired woman was easily holding up her calm and collected demeanor. It was obvious she was a professional with plenty of experience.

"I have a proposition for you salamander, I..." Ikaruga spoke before Natsu cut her off. "First off, don't call me that, I would prefer Natsu. And secondly, don't assume that because of our connection to the underworld that we have something in common. I won't fail to end you if you try any backstabbing," Natsu glared as Ikaruga seemed to be unsettled by the notion.

"Noted," Ikaruga said as she continued. "I say that we don't fight as seeing that you are who you are. So instead, why don't you join me in getting out of this tower before the whole place goes up in smoke," The woman suggested to the stoic figure that was Natsu.

Natsu looked at the woman with a face that could only be described as unconvinced. "You mean to tell me that you think you stand no chance against me, where's your warrior pride?" Natsu said with an unyielding passion. If there was anything he was adamant about. It was that no one should leave the field of battle without giving it their all. And the cowards should all be relieved of there stay in this world.

Ikaruga clenched her teeth slightly and felt mocked by Natsu's tone. "It was not my intention to upset you, but it seemed we are more different than I thought. But my offer still stands. I would prefer to not settle this with my own blood as the final payment," She spoke as Natsu seemed to return to his collected and focused disposition.

Natsu thought once more at her words before finally deciding this woman's fate. "If you truly do not wish to fight then so be it, but if you cause me any trouble from here on out, I won't hesitate to kill you," Natsu said with a dark tone. Ikaruga could look in his eyes and see that unruly rage behind his calm complexion.

Without another word spoken, Ikaruga strode by Natsu and stopped next to him. "It would seem that you are truly a force to be reckonded with, and I respect you for that. But I won't take you threats with a grain of salt," Ikaruga unsheathed her odachi and swiftly jabbed full tilt. Her jabs created small air currents that shot out like bullets and covered the walls behind with small but deep cuts.

Natsu slid to the left and struck Ikaruga with an elbow jab. He releases a torrent of fire from his elbow as the woman was engulfed in the flames. She let out a scream of pain as she slashed at Natsu. She jumped out of the fire with some burns on her face and kimono. She clenched her teeth with rage and slashed six more times, each one being more powerful than the last.

Natsu was grazed by the last strike in the arm. Even with his speed, he was not able to dodge the last and final attack. Natsu was sure this was this woman's best. As an assassin, she would not have many flashy attacks. And thus Natsu would assume that she was using her power to the full extent. But he had to color himself impressed. Her strikes were even keener than Erza's, and that was saying something. This woman was a true master of the arts.

With that last attack, the pink-haired dragon slayer deemed that this fight was long overdue for a finale. He slammed his foot down and blasted with breakneck pace toward the swords-woman. Ikaruga tried to slash the slayer once more but was dumbfounded when he caught the blade.

"NO, this is. Impossible!" The woman grew fear in her eyes as she attempted to recover from the dire situation she found herself in at the moment. She shook away her blade but then the unthinkable happened. Natsu broke her odachi with his bare hand as it shattered into many pieces in the middle of the blade.

Ikaruga dropped the blade from her hand and stood with large eyes. It would seem that she was no match for this man. It must have been fate to meet him here on this day. It would seem the gods deemed this accursed tower to be her final resting place. She collected what little sanity she could grasp to form a calm exterior as to not die without dignity.

She closed her eyes in anticipation of her death to come. But it never came. She hesitantly opened her eyes in a wash of relief. It looked like the man was not going to kill her after all. His calm and nonchalant face seemed to put her at ease as well.

And then in a flash, the world turned red.

Natsu had shoved his hand into her chest with a burning sensation. His hand was glowing with different colors of fire. Ikaruga could feel his hand around her heart as she stared at his with a glazed over gaze. Her sight became darker and shallow as she drew heavier breaths from her shaky lungs.

She mustered the strength to utter her possibly last words. "Why not strike when my eyes were closed?" Ikaruga asked with a shallow and fading voice. Natsu looked into her very soul with his intense piercing stare. But what put her off most was that there was no anger or hatred. There was only the cold and distant eyes of one who is a true killer. It was the most terrifying sight she had ever had the pleasure of seeing. In a way, it was perfect for her ending.

The assassin killed by an even more chilling soul. His demeanor gave her the shivers, and it was something she wished she could have been able to do in her own line of work. But her thoughts were drawn away as Natsu looked her in the eyes with that oh so fierce gaze.

"It's because I want you to look at me as I take your life," Natsu said as he squeezed his hand closed. Ikaruga's eyes lost their color as she let out a laugh. "Truly, you are a master of death. It has been fun, Nat..." The pink-haired woman fell silent as Natsu retracted his hand that was covered with warm blood. He laid the maiden dow on the bridge in a dignified pose and closed her eyes.

"Your wrong, I have barely scratched the surface," Natsu spoke softly as he closed his eyes and mumbled to himself a few words to the woman known as Ikaruga.

* * *

20 minutes... Tower of heaven

Gray had been wandering through the tower for the last five minutes since his battle with Rullen. He had told Simon to go down and get all the former slaves to the beach and find a way off. And so he was once again alone wandering foreign halls. He was not quite sure where he was, however, it was decided that he would try and find Natsu.

After all, even if he would never say it aloud, Natsu was their best hope to take care of this whole mess. And so Gray went in search of the arrogant prick called Natsu. It took a few minutes until he came across a large ornate door that seemed to be important.

He sprung it open and came to the sight of a dead woman lying in a position similar to the way you would lay inside a coffin. She was quite beautiful, but it became lackluster when he saw the hole in her chest. It was one of the most gruesome things he had seen in a long time. At that moment, Gray was swayed to believe Natsu was not to be trusted.

They had given him a chance to be a part. But this was too far. Fairy Tail was not a guild of killers. The raven-haired man looked downcast at the beautiful corpse laid before him and made him question what exactly transpired here. Maybe he had judged the situation before he had the evidence to say this was murder. But then again. Knowing that bastard, this gave him some pleasure.

Gray walked along the bridge and into the door that was immediately after. There he walked down a hall until he came up to a familiar sight. There was Natsu, striding along without a care in the world. This prospect made Gray seethe with fury. The fucking bastard! Gray thought. How can he be so calm after taking a life!

Gray stormed toward the pinkete and roughly pulled his shoulder. Natsu glared at Gray and slapped his hand away from him. It was then that Gray saw Natsu's eyes. They were colder than he had ever seen before. This put him off. There was a different premonition to him since last he saw him.

Gray was then pulled from his thoughts when Natsu spoke. "You know ice princess, I don't much care for the touching. So shove off," Natsu asserted as he maintained his previous pace. "I'm talking to you! You killed that woman back there!" Gray bitterly chastised. He was going to blow a head gasket if Natsu kept on like this. This mood he's in or whatever is worse than when they first met.

"So what, she was the enemy. And besides the point, I gave her a chance to walk," Natsu uttered in a dull tone.

This time Gray was going to make sure Natsu understood what he was getting at. "Fairy Tail doesn't kill! We don't tolerate killers!" Gray said as Natsu stopped walking and turned to face Gray. He made a scowl briefly and plugged Gray in the face. He had put some of his magic into the punch and you could tell from the small burn now present on Gray's forehead. Gray felt his head that was pounding and there was a steady flow of blood from the mark.

Gray gave the dragon slayer a menacing glare as he held his head. This was the final straw for him. He attempted to get back up. But the Natsu punched him once more in the head. Gray had tried to block, but it was broken through by the force of the blow. The raven-haired man laid there holding his head as he held onto consciousness.

"Fuck you," Gray spurted out as he looked at the ceiling of the hall. Natsu then strode off to somewhere unknown to the ice mage.

* * *

15 minutes... Tower of Heaven

I'm fed up with that ice prick, all he does is accuse and lecture me. But worst of all is that he thinks he can just say anything without repercussion. That sorry bastard will know pain if he keeps bothering me. But then a thought crossed Natsu's mind. Maybe Gray was onto him being a dark mage. But then again, nothing he has said thus far would prove he knows anything.

Who knows, he might just not like me in general. He probably just wants me to leave the guild, but I know that I can't do that. I have to carry out my mission. At the least, the others trust me. But Natsu was taken from his thoughts as he felt a battle transpiring somewhere close by.

He felt there were three people engaged in what seemed to be a two on one. He was then convinced that there was something wrong as he came ever closer. He could smell that Lucy and that new Juvia chick were there. But the other must be an enemy. However once he finally came to the site of the engagement, he was surprised to see that Juvia was under the influence of the other mage's powers.

"Aahhh," Lucy had yelled out as she was hit by a water whip. She fell to the ground and groaned out. It was obvious that this had been going on a while because the blonde was battered up with scraped and bruises. Natsu charged in and blocked the next attack that Juvia launched.

She growled out as she let loose another round of water. But Natsu sent his own attack out and the water turned to steam. The man known as Crimson laughed out as he summoned some energy from the palm of his hand and launched it at Natsu. Lucy saw this and grew relieved that Natsu was here.

But then he was enraptured by the blast. And then by a cloud of smoke. "Natsu!" Lucy called out. This was bad if even Natsu could not beat these guys. Crimson grew a smirk on his face as he looked at the cloud of smoke. "Ha, this guy was nothing. You won't be saved," The man laughed out with an evil grin.

But then Crimson became aghast. Natsu stood in the same spot with not a mark on him. Natsu had a bored expression that only made Crimson scowl at the impudence of this man. "You with pay for this mockery," Crimson said as he charged another attack. This one was more powerful than the last. But Natsu created a white magic seal. Lucy was confused because she had never seen such a technique used by Natsu. But maybe it was the one Gray had told them about back before the final battle with those phantom jerks.

The white seal shot out white chains that wrapped around the assassin. He yelled out as he was crushed by the chains tightening. Juvia was released from the spell that she was placed under and dropped to her knees. The chains shortened as they slowly reeled up Crimson. "What are you doing you bastard?" Crimson wheezed out as he was still being crushed. But his eyes soon became wide as Natsu with his other had pointed out his index and middle finger. There was a small ball of supercharged lightning that sizzled and crackled.

"No! Don't do it!" Crimson pleaded. But it fell upon deaf ears as Natsu held the spark to the man's neck. And then with a small flash shot the bolt into the Crimson's neck. He was instantaneously fried and Natsu released him from the chains. Natsu took one more look at the man before crouching down and closing Crimson's eyelids.

He regained his composure and saw that Lucy was getting up. She looked to Natsu and then started to cry. "Oh Natsu, it was terrible. He controlled Juvia and I tried to fight. But she overpowered me," Lucy sobbed as she went over to Juvia who was back to the present.

"I'm so sorry Lucy, I was not strong enough to fend off his tricks. This is all my fault. I should be ashamed to call myself a member of fairy tail," Juvia said with remorse. Lucy kneeled before Juvia and hugged her tightly as Natsu merely crossed his arms and looked away.

"Don't you worry, I know it was that man that forced you to do this, he controlled you and so I don't place any of the blame on you," Lucy asserted to Juvia. Juvia seemed to cheer up from this. But she could not ignore the state Lucy was in. She would find a way to it up to her someday. But for now, she would help to save Erza like hey had intended.

"Are you two done crying your eyes out, because I would like to get on with this so we don't all explode," Natsu spoke with an irked expression. Lucy then stood up as well as Juvia and looked to the body of Crimson. She then questioned the pinkete. "Is he... alive?" Lucy probed as Juvia also was curious.

"I don't know for certain, but most likely," Natsu said as he started to walk down the hall. The two girls followed in suit. Lucy had never thought of killing enemies before, but it would seem Natsu was not very afflicted by the concept which made her uneasy. But if she had to guess. Natsu seemed to not enjoy killing at least. But it was good that he was on our side. Because he is very strong. But the thought was erased from her mind as she saw that Natsu had stopped in front of a door.

"Hey, you two," Natsu said as he turned around the face the two female mages. "I think you should leave this tower, I believe you will only get in the way," Natsu blatantly declared to them. Lucy and Juvia were taken by surprise by his bold rudeness. But at least he got to the point. If that could even be used as a compliment.

"Ok, but you don't have to put it so rigidly," Lucy said a little hurt from his words. But she would say that the truthfulness of the statement was what hurt the most about it. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to let you believe you can do it next time," Natsu told them as he went through the door.

"What's his problem!" Juvia said as her face was red from agitation. She wanted to pummel him right about now. That was until Lucy became the voice of reason. "Come on, he's probably in a bad mood for gods knows what. But he is right that we should leave this to him and Gray," As Lucy said this Juvia agreed with a nod. The two started back from where they came from and in hopes, they could get out before the tower was reduced to a pile of rubble.

As they retraced their steps they met up with Gray, he had a low stream of blood coming from a mark on his head as he clutched his throbbing head. He seemed to be a little wobbly at the moment. Lucy was shocked to see him in such a state and called out to him. "Gray, are you okay. Who did this to you?"

Gray looked up to be greeted by the sight of Lucy and that new blue-haired girl from Phantom. "It was... Bastard. Natsu," Gray bitterly explained. He was going to get Natsu back for this. But not in the way that he would think. He was going to make sure Natsu got some sort of punishment from the master at the very least. He was not going to tolerate this recourse from him anymore.

Lucy covered her mouth as she thought about what he said. "Natsu, but. Why?" Lucy said as Juvia looked at Gray seeking answers. "That bastard, he killed one of the assassins from that dark guild. And when I questioned him, he lashed out at me," Gray said with a snarl. Lucy then thought about the sight of the seemingly lifeless Crimson. This would be trouble if Natsu and Gray could not ever find a way to drop everything that made them fight and just become friends. But maybe ti was not possible seeing as they keep ripping at each other's throats.

"He may have killed the other one as well. That guy Crimson that we fought," Lucy said as Juvia nodded. Gray scowled as so many thoughts ran through his head all at once. "I can't believe he already killed somebody else," Gray then thought about how he would break this to Erza. Is he a killer? Was this all just an unfortunate series of events? Who is Natsu? Is he really who he says he is? These were some of the thoughts plagued Gray's mind. But his thoughts were interrupted by Lucy.

"Gray, we need to forget all this for the moment and get out of here. Natsu said that we should get out of here while we have the time. I know you don't like him, but I believe we can trust Natsu to do what's best for us," Lucy said as Gray's fists started to shake. But he calmed himself enough to be able to speak with calm composure.

"Fine, but I won't stand by and let this psycho continue to keep killing people," Gray said in finality as he and the others ran back to meet with Simon.

"We freed a whole bunch of slaves and they should be at the shore. So we will need to be quick to get back down there," Gray said as Lucy and Juvia nodded. "So where were all the slaves?" Juvia asked as Gray quickly formed an explanation.

"There was an entire wing on the other side of the tower that was full of cells. Me and that Simon guy freed them. But then I fought a guy named Rullen. He was one of those assassins as well. If I'm right, that guy said there were only three of them," Gray spoke.

"Yeah that's right, that means that there is only one more. That Jellal guy I think," Lucy enunciated as she herself was not sure if that was the correct way of saying it. They all ran as fast as they could down to the bottom. And that was when they encountered Simon and all the slaves on the shore of the small island.

"Gray! You made it back, what about Erza?" Simon inquired to the ice make mage. "Natsu is still up there. And..." Gray paused with hesitation. He was having a hard time saying the words that were going to come out of his mouth. "Were going to have to trust he can pull this off. So let's get everyone out of here," Gray exclaimed as he started to create boats of ice.

* * *

10 minutes... Top of the tower

Natsu came through a door after rushing up the tower for what seemed like forever, even though it had only been a few minutes. And to his surprise, he came across Erza laid up against a wall in a room that on the other side had a lifted throne. She was pretty busted up from what he could see. If that was the case, then Jellal must be around here somewhere.

Finally, Erza seemed to notice that Natsu was right beside her and she gave him a weak grin. "I said you would be here, sorry I couldn't take him down myself. I guess I'll need some help," Erza said as she coughed up some blood from her mouth.

Natsu looked at her a bit longer before turning toward the presence that entered the room just a moment ago. "Is that him Erza?" Erza looked up at Natsu to see his face was nonchalant as always. But his eyes were, in fact, glowing red. You could still see the pupil, but they gave off a light that was unnatural. "Yeah," Was all she said as she could see the peeved expression that slowly crept onto the dragon slayer's face.

"So Siegrain, or should I say Jellal. It would seem that our paths have crossed again. But this time we are on opposing fronts," Natsu said as he got into an offensive stance. Jellal smirked at this as he raised his fists up with a swirl of green magic. It swelled up until there was a large miasma of energy behind Jellal.

"So it would seem, but don't worry sal... Pardon. I mean Natsu. You won't have to worry for long. I will crush you and show them all that I was the superior mage after all. Jella grinned wildly as he thrust his arms forward.

The energy descended upon Natsu but he was quick to block with an attack of his own. He puffed up his cheeks for the first time since he battled the dragon back in Cape Town. **Fire Dragons Roar!** The attack shot out like a missile and connected with Jellal's attack. The two merged and spun and both dissipated in a flash. Natsu dashed and dropped to his left arm and swept Jellal from his feet. Jellal fell and quickly rolled onto his feet as he tried to punch Natsu in the chest. But Natsu leaped back and shot out a small blast of fire at the blue-haired man.

Natsu ran around the side of the room and puffed his cheeks once more. But this time he released a different flame. **Fire Dragons Roar!** This blast was filled with all the colors of the rainbow. Jellal barely was able to drop to the floor as the beam of fire broke through the wall behind and tore a large hole in the side of the tower. Jellal grimaced at how close he was to being caught in that almost mystical looking fire.

"What the hell was that!?" Jellal asked astonished with the heat and pressure the attack gave off. Natsu gave a slight grin as he spoke. "That was something I learned while I was on my trip," Natsu said as he rushed Jellal. He gave a left hook coated with fire and Jellal blocked with his forearm as he kicked with his free leg.

"What the hell do you mean on your trip, what trip do you mean," Jellal inquired as he dodged another blow from Natsu. Jellal twisted his body to the left and hit Natsu in the neck with a jab. Natsu recoiled a bit as he leaned back and clocked Jellal in the ribs. Then once more in the jaw as the blue-haired man was sent flying into the nearest wall.

Jellal gasped out as his back hit and he crashed, his body making an indent in the stone. Natsu charged and gathered his fire inside his fist. Thus creating a small ball of energy that would condense down into a bomb. He yelled out as Jellal's eyes widened at the sight. **Fire Dragons Explosion!** There was a huge blast that swallowed both Jella and Natsu in a furious ball of destruction. The pink-haired dragon slayer escapes from the orb and then shot out a pillar of fire from his hands. The blast let up just as the next assault landed. Jellal, however, returned the attack with a large black ball of energy.

"Take this dragon boy!" Jellal screamed as the ball of darkness pushed back the beam of fire. The wind around the area whipped around as the pressure from the two attacks. The power of the two energies colliding finally ended as they dissipated into nothingness. Jellal laughed out as he saw that Natsu seemed surprised he was able to deflect the attack.

"See dragon boy, I told you this wouldn't turn out like you thought it was going to," Jellal maniacally laughed out as he threw a barrage of energy blasts that covered the room. Natsu dodged the blasts as he tried to form a large ball in his hand. This time the flame was only blue as he condensed the magic down.

"I think I want to end this," Natsu exclaimed as he threw the ball at Jellal who looked like a deer in the headlights. But he soon regained his composure and used a spell. The ball imploded and caught Jellal within yet another blast. But once it faded from sight, Jellal was nowhere to be seen. Jellal then kicked at Natsu's head. But when Natsu blocked and countered the strike with an uppercut, the vision of Jellal was revealed as a mere projection.

Natsu expected to find a second attack after the first one. But Jellal was seen on the upper level of the tower threw a hole that was created by the blast of Natsu's making. Jellal smirked at seeing Natsu's face. "What's wrong, can't seem to get a good hit? Why don't you join me up here," Jella said as he walked away from the opening. Natsu took a look back at Erza who nodded to him as he jumped up the opening and to the very top of the tower.

"This is it Jellal, we finish this!" Natsu charged Jellal as the blue-haired mage prepared himself. "It would seem that I need to use my true powers to take you down. But what else should I expect from such a feared and respected warrior such as yourself," Jellal grinned as he dodged Natsu's strikes left an right.

Erza on the lower level could not help but wonder why it seemed that the two of them had a history. I mean they may have met when the counsel interrogated Natsu. But was there something deeper between the two that she may not have known about. What could it possibly be? There were so many questions that she wanted to be answered, and yet it would seem futile to try and pry into such things. Especially at a time like this. Maybe she would ask Natsu after this was all over.

Natsu landed a left uppercut on Jellal which stunned him long enough for him to set in another hit with his right. Jellal staggered back before spitting out some blood from his mouth. Suddenly Jellal released a golden aura from his body that caused Natsu to jump back. "See my true power Natsu, I will show you why they call me a wizard saint!" Jellal proclaimed as he lifted his hands to the air as the energy around him rose even higher. Then with a flash, there was a golden light shooting around in the air. **Heavenly Body Magic: Meteor!**

Jellal punched Natsu square in the face as he flashed away before Natsu could even react fast enough. "I see you got some fancy tricks," Natsu said as he was about to get more serious about this. Natsu rocketed over with his fist cocked. Jellal flashed before him and kicked at Natsu's chest. Natsu caught his foot and landed a strike to his gut that made him fly back. The dragon slayer then Kicked Jellal in the chest with a kick coated in fire.

Natsu held back his hand and gathered a ball of lightning his hand as Jellalgrimaced at the sight. "Dammit!" Jellal bellowed as he was struck with the energy that jolted threw his entire body. He then was blown back. Jellal slowly raised to his feet and as sparks of electricity surged out from his own body. He scowled at the slayer before gathering a powerful magic force in his hands.

He created a golden magic circle that grew in size until it was as large as Jellal himself. "You won't take me lightly dragon boy! You will know what it means to have lord Zeref as your enemy. His power is instilled in me!" Jellal yelled as he released his attack. **Altairis!** The magic circle vanished as the massive black orb shot out faster than the normal human eye could track.

But luckily for Natsu, he is no mere normal human. Natsu cocked his fist and gathered his multicolored flames to his fist. And in the brief milliseconds, before the magic landed, he struck it with an equally powerful blow. **Fire Dragons Iron Fist!** The strike collided with Jellal's, but then was blown away from the intensity of Natsu's punch.

"How could you deflect my attack?!" Jella fumed as he used his meteor to charge Natsu. Jellal made a right straight and then left. But Natsu blocked both and countered with a kick. This made Jellal hunch over as he was kicked in the stomach. Natsu took advantage of this and put both fists together and slammed Jellal into the ground with all his might. He then proceeded to kick him in the back. Each time Jellal would gasp out as he coughed up more blood.

Then the blue-haired man grabbed a hold of Natsu's foot and pulled him down alongside him. Jellal bolted up and stuck Natsu in the back. But the slayer jumped up and punched Jellal. The blow was caught and Jellal twisted Natsu's arm in order to get him to fall back from the engagement. But to his shock, the pinkete made a move forward and head-butted Jellal.

"Ahh! You asshole!" Jellal said as he clutched to his head. Natsu made a step forward and threw his fist up in a high cocked position. Jelal was frozen by the expression that adorned Natsu's usually bored face. His eyes were wide but not with shock. There were overly focused and full of a carnal desire to destroy anything that stood in his way. His teeth were clenched tight and he had little fangs that bared at the same time.

Sudden Jelal realized what he was up against and why he might not win this fight after all. Natsu was a fighting machine that once you got his cogs oiled, it would take a force innumerable to stop him in his tracks. Natsu with his piercing gaze clobbered Jellal in the temple with a strike that may have been even mightier than the one he used to stop the Altairis.

Jellal slammed into the ground like he was hit by a cannon and his head bounced up once it hit the hard ground. This caused some whiplash in his neck as he choked out some blood and his eyes became white. He lay on the ground seemingly beaten down by the ferocious monster that would stop at nothing to get what he desired to hold in his grasp.

Jellal shakily stood to his feet, that was until he was grabbed by the arm and thrown about twenty feet to the right of Natsu. Jellal then stood up swiftly and he seemed to fly into the air. He yelled out as he performed an attack that had usually always defeated his foes before, but right now he was merely desperate to close some distance between him and the beast called Natsu.

**Heavenly Body Magic: Grand Chariot! **"May the seven stars cast there judgment upon you!" Jella declared as there was a constellation that formed in the sky. Natsu looked up to see that they would fire down upon him with the fury of the heavens. And then with a bright golden glow, Natsu was engulfed in the massive explosion that tore up the pinnacle of the tower.

From the ocean where Gray had made many boats of ice to be a safe distance from the tower, he could see the intense battle raging atop the zenith. "Wow, Natsu really is powerful," Lucy said as she stared in awe. This battle was so great that she could even feel it from way down here. It was just incredible to see such powerful people battling their hearts out.

Gray stared on at the sight, and even he had to say he was impressed by the display. He would still get Natsu back. But for the moment he couldn't deny that this was the most frantic battle he had ever witnessed. "Do you think he will win Gray?" Lucy asked looking to the raven-haired mage.

"I would place my bets on him even in this kind of situation. If that answers your question," Gray said as Lucy smiled lightly. This was their last bet, so it just has to be Natsu that wins this and saves Erza from her childhood fears. Come on Natsu, I'm rooting for you. Lucy thought as the top of the tower then became covered in a golden blast.

Natsu braced himself for the impact as the sky rained down seven huge blasts. He sunk his feet into the ground he stood on and crossed his arms. Using his magic, he creates a small barrier around his body. And then everything around him became white. When the light let up the ceiling of the very top floor was completely gone. Now there were only large parts of the overhanging walls that were left. Jellal jumped down to witness that Natsu was no more damaged than before and he clenched his teeth in frustration.

"Why won't you just die?!" Jellal bellowed out with rage. But that was until he saw what was floating high above the tower. And then in an instant, everyone grew pale. Natsu looked up at the sight and his eyes widened in the realization.

Erza saw it as well and she knew in her mind that it was the end for her and Natsu. This was the end, wasn't it? She asked her self as she looked to the figure that was Natsu. He looked stoic even in the face of death. But I guess it would be fate to die here like this. But then something happened that shocked Erza completely.

Jellal's hair hung over his eyes like a shroud as Natsu looked to him. "What's wrong Jellal, did you expect to get out of here before your trap was set. Well, look at us now. Because of you, we are all going to die here you bastard," Nasu explained. But then Jellal showed his true colors to the world.

Jella looked up at Natsu and had a psychotic grin plastered to his face. His lip curved into a wicked smile and his eyes were wild. "Hahhahhahahahhahah. HAHAHAHHAHHAHAHHA!" Jellal clutched his sides as he laughed out maniacally. He rocked around as his power grew even more. There was a very intense pressure that surrounded him.

"HHAHAHAHHAA, your all going to die! And lord Zeref with reward me for my excellent service to him! HHAHAHAHAHHA! Were all going to die and you will die! Let us rejoice this honor that Zeref will walk this earth again as a lion among sheep!" Jella screamed out with his hands raised in the air.

Natsu was completely dumbfounded by this spark of insanity that Jella had hidden inside of his this whole time. But at the least. It would make the last few moments on this planet interesting. But Jellal was really pissing him off now. "You fucking psychopath was this your plan from the start! To kill us all alongside you crazed delusions of reality!" Natsu exclaimed as he started to seethe with anger. There was no way he could let this motherfucker take him out before he completed his true mission.

"This is a hearty fare thee well to you and your friends!" Jellal laughed out once more as the Satellite Square in the sky started to come to life. Natsu in that moment that he would not die like this. And so he rushed Jellal and slammed his fist into Jellal's gut just as the light engulfed them all.

"NO!" Lucy yelled as Gray averted his eyes. This was it. This was the end of his friend Erza. And he had to say that even though in the end Natsu was a complete asshole, at least he went down fighting for Erza. Lucy began to shed tears as the smoke and dust began to clear. And then there was a blue shining radiance that crept into the eyes of everyone for miles around.

All were astonished by the beautiful blue glow that the tower omitted like a beacon in the night. But then the realization hit as they then noticed that the tower had made a drastic transformation.

* * *

Natsu opened his eyes to see he was still alive and kicking. He was standing over Jellal who was still laughing on the ground. The dragon slayer grew enraged by the sight of the blue-haired man laughing like this and so he opted to kick him. Jellal was sent flying and he landed against one of the walls of the tower that was still left.

"You see now that this is the true form of the revive system! In its full glory, and now I will sacrifice you and Erza so that I may revive the dark lord Zeref!" Jellal yelled out as Natsu charged him. Jelal used his meteor to whish away from the impact of Natsu's punch that broke the wall of the lacrima.

"This tower is now one giant lacrima," Natsu said as Jellal remarked.

"Yes, and now that my plan is complete, you will suffer at my hand. Now die Natsu Dragneel!"

* * *

**To be continued...**

**That was once again a fun chapter to write. Anyway, yes. Natsu is definitely a badass. And in this fight against Jellal, he was the one in control of the flow. So I hope you like that. I will sum up this Arc in the next chapter. So be prepared for that.**

**SO sorry, I know I never follow through, but I took a long vacation from writing during the break. But If you like this story enough I'm sure you won't mind too much. I would also like to say that I also have been writing two other stories during writing this one. However, those ones are not fanfics, rather they are more like actual books.**

**As always I would like you to leave comments and criticism as to what you think I should improve on. By the way. Tell me if you like how I write my fights. I would just** **like**** to know if they are up to par.**

**Be prepared for the next one! Chapter 13!**


	13. Thunderstruck

**I do not own Fairy Tail, that belongs solely to Hiro Mashima.**

**Hello and welcome back to chapter 13! In the last chapter, Natsu was on the verge of defeating Jellal, what will happen next?! **

**Anyway, I hope you are ready for this chapter. I will sum up the Arc in this one as well. **

**Feel free to leave comments and criticism on how I can write better so you enjoy the story that much more. And so without anything further.**

**Enjoy the story!**

* * *

Chapter 13: Thunderstruck

September 9, X784, Tower of Heaven

"Now die Natsu Dragneel!" Jellal cackled out as he gathered his intense magic. **Meteor!** Jellal launched forward at the pink-haired slayer with a crazed look adorned on his face. He threw a right straight that Natsu caught. The slayer twisted Jellal's arm like he had done to him a little while ago and kneed the blue-haired man in the gut.

Jellal's face cringed as he felt the surge of power behind Natsu's strike. He leaped away as soon as he could. But the pinkete chased him down and slammed him back to the ground. "Ahh!" Jellal screamed out as he hit the lacrima and shattered the floor around him. Jellal was heaving on the ground as Natsu looked at him with an almost pitiful look.

"Is this all the great wizard saint can offer me, however, I must commend and say you are a most talented fighter," Natsu spoke softly. Erza hobbled over to Natsu and stood next to him as the man who had caused her so much grief was laying with his face to the ground. She could not believe he was taken down so easily.

She barely put a scratch on Jellal, but Natsu was able to beat him down without much of a fight. That was until an eerie glow seeped out from Jellal's body. Erza took a step back as the energy released was even more wicked than before. "Natsu, do you know what's happening?" The scarlet knight asked as the slayer shook his head.

"No idea, but you should get back If you know what's good for you," Natsu expressed. "I'm not helpless," Erza snapped as she stood back from the body of Jellal. Then with a crackling sound, Jellal's body rose in the air as dark green magic enveloped the blue-haired man and swirled around.

The air grew thick and yet strangely calm at the same time. Jellal's eyes turned this malevolent green and the green energy mixed with black and the man was surrounded by the dark energy that started to spin rapidly. The once calm environment then felt like there were gale force winds that spun around the orb that continued to grow in size.

Natsu braced himself from the winds as he watched the ungodly sight before him. The energy Natsu felt was too familiar for comfort, it was demonic energy that sprouted. Natsu stepped back as something started to protrude from the orb. It was a clawed hand.

The whipping winds came to a standstill as the orb of energy vanished from sight. All that was left was a demon that was slightly larger than a normal human. Jellal's skin turned a dark grayish blue color and his eyes were red. His hair had turned black and he grew from his back grotesque wings.

He was taller as well in this strange form. But then he let out a primal cry. "RRARaaaaa!" Jellal flew up in the air with a gust of winds that came from his wake. "Jesus Christ!" Natsu said as he too charged.

Erza could only stare with dreadful awe as she gazed at the form of Jellal that made her nightmares seem like nothing compared to what she witnessed here. How could this happen to him? Has he gone this far? Why did he do this to himself? There was no real answer that was in sight. But the thought was still terrifying.

Natsu caught up with Jellal using his flames like a rocket. He threw a left hook, but it was blocked by Jellal and the demon kicked Natsu in the chest. There was a blast green energy and Natsu was sent flying down. The pinkete landed on his feet as Jellal swooped down on top of him. He ducked down and released a barrage of fire bolts that exploded after flying a certain distance.

Natsu decided to puff his cheeks and shoot down the demon. **Fire Dragons Breath!** The rainbow fire sent forth and engulfed Jellal. But then there was a sphere of energy that was created. This acted as a shield from the blast of fire.

Then demon Jellal gathered his magic. He threw an attack that looked like a beefed-up Altairis. Then he threw another and another. Demon Jellal continued his barrage as Natsu weaved in and out of the blasts. Each one was more powerful than the one he had pushed away. But there were so many that he could not stay in that one spot.

Natsu flashed right in front of Jellal and suckered him in the face. But the demon merely cocked its head back when he did so. The crazed look in Jellal's face never left as he stared down Natsu with those red glowing eyes.

"You are truly far gone," Natsu said as the demon released a wave fo energy. Natsu deflects it with a blast of fire from his hands. And thus shielded him from the oncoming blast that followed. "Hahhahahahhah!" The demon laughed as it charged. It tried to claw out Natsu's chest, but in doing so Natsu grabbed the demon's arm and kneed it. You could hear a loud crack as the demon dropped to the ground and held its broken arm.

Jellal growled and rushed the slayer. He kicked with his left and a slash of the dark magic cast out and exploded right in Natsu's face. The dragon slayer held his arms up in defense as he was punched back by Jellal's barrage of punches. He then saw an opening and exploited it. Natsu decided then and there that he would have to really put his bead together to bring down this demon form of Jellal.

Jellal collected his magic into a ball and flew into the air. He continued to expand the huge bomb and grinned madly. Natsu could feel that this was going to be hard to counter, and so he gathered his energy as well. Natsu closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them.

He watched carefully and with keen expertise. He would release his charged bolt at the exact time that a huge mass of energy came down on him. Jellal smiled as he let the ball fly down. And in an instant, Natsu was prepared. He extended his right hand and put together his middle and index finger and closed his other hand.

He then brought the right hand over and thrust it forward. Erza gasped as she watched. Natsu had a blue glowing aura around him as his hair seemed to be floating up and there was lighting crackling around him as he released the supercharged attack that brought him down over a month ago. She stared in shocked awe that he was able to take that dragon's power and turn it into his own. He was just incredible.

The bolt of lightning shot ahead and ripped through the ball of energy. The blast that ensued was so great that the tower was starting to crumble under the pressure. The bolt ran straight and pierced demon Jellal as the man's eyes became white and he spurts out more blood. His chest was convulsing in a similar manner to Natsu's.

Jellal fell and crashed into the tower at the same time as the blast went off. The flash was too bright to see, and so Natsu had to cover his eyes to prevent possible blindness. As it dies down Jellal was standing in a bloody mess as his left arm was limp. The demon growled as he clutched his broken arm and flew at Natsu. The slayer was quick to react and as soon as demon Jellal was atop him, he put his palm to his chest and released even more electricity. This caused Jellal to fall to his knees as he put his head to the ground and clenched his chest with his remaining arm.

"RRRARARA!" The demon screamed as Natsu tried to land another strike while he had the chance. The demon created a ball of pure black energy and shot it at Natsu. Jellal leaped up in an unstable position. Natsu could not get out of the way of the magic in time and thus decided to hold it back with his hand.

"Dammit!" Natsu yelled as he felt his hand being torn up by this malevolent dark mass. The mass started to extrude outward until it became unstable. Natsu grimaced as he tried to throw it someplace else. But when he did it ruptured with Natsu right at the point of impact. Natsu was manhandled into the ground as he gasped out. The ball of dark energy was putting out an immense pressure that was almost crushing.

Demon Jellal took advantage and darted at the slayer. He slammed his fist into the pinkete's gut and he broke through the floor. What the hell! Natsu thought. He dashed back and used a roundhouse kick to the side of Jellal's head which knocked him over. Natsu pelted demon Jellal's body with punch after punch with fists coated in electricity. He got to a wall and smashed Jellal's body through it.

Jellal fell through the wall, but he used his wings to fly up back to the top as he crashed down. Natsu jumped up through one of the openings and saw the demon heaving with shallow breaths. This fight may look like it's over. Natsu thought. But I still feel an immense amount of magic inside of him. This uncertainty made it all the more difficult to say whether he was close to taking this thing out of existence.

The demon roared out as it charged once more. Natsu got into a defensive stance ready to block his opponents every move. And thus in a fit of rage, the demon attacked left and right with sloppily made attacks. Natsu blocked each and every one of them and they struck Jellal in the chest with a charged bolt of lightning. The Demon fell back and gasped out as it jumped up and fired a pint blank shot to Natsu's leg. Natsu had to jump up to avoid his leg taking damage and he cocked his fist in the process.

He gathered his flames in his hand and slammed down his fist. But Jellal flew off the ground in a flash and Natsu missed his target. In the process of this happening Natsu shattered a huge chunk of the ground. He almost fell off the tower but he managed to grasp onto the edge of the newly formed edge.

He pulled himself up and fired a blast of flames out from his hand. Demon Jellal dodged the incoming missile and released an attack of his own. This was was bright and golden. It looked like his heavenly body magic was shining through all that dark and malevolent energy that has been surrounding him.

Jellal's attack raced out and Natsu punched it away with a mighty attack. **Fire Dragons Iron Fist!** The blows collided and Natsu's flames burst back in a cone-like shape as the fought the energy of the other attack. But finally, Natsu countered the attack with enough energy to make it recourse to Jellal.

The demon dodged with a sneer and flew up high in the sky. He surrounded himself in golden energy and he cried out. He roared to the heavens as he made some movements with his arms. And then for the first time in the fight, Natsu felt some residual fear int eh back of his mind as he sensed what was coming.

**True Heavenly Body Magic: Sema!** The crazed Jellal launched the attack as the sky swirled into a great hurricane. There was a glowing golden light that came from the center of the clouds that was getting brighter. Natsu could only stare wide-eyed at what emerged from the clouds. It was a meteor that wo9uld smash this entire tower and probably create a huge crater. But he had no time to think any longer. He had to stop this.

Natsu roared out as he released his magical energy for the first time in this fight, he then charged up and ran closer. He used his rockets to boost him up closer as the meteor was nearing. Then Natsu with a frantic demeanor puffed his cheeks as he expected to die if this plan did not pan out like he thought it would.

And in a fit of power, he himself had never seen himself achieve, he released the attack. **Storm Dragons Roar!** He cried as a huge blue lightning bolt surged across the sky. The shockwave from his attack forced him back and even Erza was forced to take a kneeling position as the energy expanded out.

The supercharged lightning flashed and struck the meteor with the force of a raging ocean and Natsu was blown to the ground. He slammed down as he witnesses the huge blue and golden energies colliding with such force that he had a hard time standing himself from the pressure of the attacks.

When the intense light simmered down the meteor had been split into three pieces that missed the tower narrowly. They crashed into the ocean creating huge waves that caused everyone in the ice boats to have to hold on to dear life.

"Hahahhaha!" Jelal laughed as he flew to the ground. "I must have not heard the joke," Natsu jeered as he grew an annoyed scowl to his face. Jellal then with his red eyes looked to Natsu and spoke out. Jellal did not explain anything as he dashed toward the pink-haired dragon slayer.

"This is pointless Jellal! You can't win this! I can feel that your energy has diminished!" Natsu berated as he blocked the demons attacks. But Natsu would be lying if he said he was full of energy right now. Those few attacks with the lightning were draining on his stores of energy. He was still not proficient at using them without using huge amounts of his magic.

Natsu damaged a left hook and blocked a right straight punch from Jellal. Jellal's movements were getting slower and his attacks were less focused. He was struggling to keep up with Natsu who was throwing him around right now. Natsu clutched Jellal's arms and pulled him in himself and punched the demon in the face at the same time. Jellal's head was engulfed by a blast of flames.

Natsu roared out as he punched Jellal in the gut repeatedly and Jellal flew back to the edge of the tower. The tower itself was beaten and battered. It was radiating energy from the ethirion and pulsing. Natsu got a strange feeling of foreboding as he saw this and decided he had to finish this before the lacrima gave out.

"Erza! I think the lacrima can't take all this damage!" Natsu yelled out to Erza as she replied. "I know, it will blow before shortly!" She remarked as Natsu looked to Jellal who was getting up once more. This demon form of him was something else. Even he would have a hard time getting up from a beating like this.

Natsu launched himself forward as he continued his brutal assault on demon Jellal. Jella failed to keep up his blocking and was battered in the jaw and out so many times it was a surprise he was still on his feet. But then Natsu was caught off guard as Jellal was face to face with him and his arms were around Natsu as he squeezed him. Natsu tried to get out of the body lock and he clenched his teeth in frustration. And even with his strength, he could not break free.

Natsu kneed Jellal with a blast of fire that surrounded them in an attempt to break free but instead with two dropped. They had been next to the edge and Jellal's wings seemed to not work. Jellal grinned madly as Natsu was frantically beating Jellal to let him go.

**Fire Dragons Roar!** Natsu roared out as he blasted Jellal straight in the face. "Let go!" **Fire Dragons Roar!** Once more he blasted the demon in the face. "Goddammit!" **Fire Dragons Roar! Fire Dragons Roar! Fire Dragons Roar! **Natsu just could not break free as Jellal squeezed him tighter. Natsu could feel his chest was being crushed under the giant muscled arms of demon Jellal. But Jella was barely hanging onto consciousness as he gripped Natsu. The two had run out of time and they both slammed into the ocean where the jagged rocks were.

Erza looked over the sight eyes wide. "Natsu!" She saw the two of them fall down. The scarlet-haired maiden slammed her fist into the ground as she felt conflicting emotions swirl in her heart and mind. The tower was pulsating even more and Natsu had just fallen over the side. And in a split-second decision, she jumped over as well.

She aimed for the spot where the rocks were not and dived down. She herself thought how crazy this was to drop hundreds of feet into a dive. But she had no time to worry about her own safety. Natsu might have been knocked out and he could drown if she did not find him soon.

She dived into the ocean and cut into the water like an elegant swan. She swan around to where the rocks were and saw Nastu lying on the bottom of the shallow water with his mouth wide open and his eyes were white. She swam as fast as she could to his depth of about fifteen feet. She dove and grabbed his body. She hurried to the surface but then her eyes widened.

The tower had beams of light shooting out and in an ear-deafening sound, it imploded. The white light enveloped them as Erza with Natsu was blown around. But Erza held tightly onto Natsu as the wind whipped. She opened her eyes as huge chunks of lacrima were falling into the ocean. Then she panicked as one was about to hit them. She braced her self as the chunk hit her in the back. And forced her down. She tried to swim around however and was able to get away before the piece of the tower trapped the two of them at the bottom of the sea.

She swam with Natsu all the way to the shore and she laid him on the damp sand. She was not sure what to do as Natsu's shirt was torn and battered and he was not breathing. She placed her ear to his chest and she let out a sigh of relief. He had a faint heartbeat. but she had to do something if she was to not let him die.

"Erza!" Gray, Lucy, and Juvia yelled out together as they ran up to her and Natsu from the distance. Erza needed to help Natsu right now and so even though the others would see it she decided she could not bother with simple things such as embarrassment. Erza tilted Natsu's head back and pinched his nose. She put her mouth her on his and blew air. The other came upon the two as Erza repeatedly blew air into Natsu's mouth.

And then like a light was just turned on. Natsu sprung up and hit her head on Erza's forehead. He coughed up a bunch of water as he gasped out and held his throat. He put his weight on his arm as he faced his head to the sand and coughed once more as some saliva dripped from his mouth. He took in heavy breaths as he sat up normally and looked at Erza who held her head.

He stared into her eyes a moment longer before he spoke. "You saved my life," Natsu said as Erza gave him a faint smile. But Erza ten grew a tick mark on her head. "Next time someone saves you, how about not hitting them in the head," Erza said with a slight smirk.

"Thank you," Natsu said as Erza came back to the moment. She looked to him and then remembered that the others were watching. She stood up and helped Nastu up as well. "I guess you owe me now," Erza smiled as Natsu gave out a huff.

"Yeah," Natsu chuckled a little before he looked at Gray. This instantly put him in a worse mood as he sneered. "Oh look, it's the ice pussy," the pinkete said with a jeer as Gray became irked. "Fuck off Natsu, I have a reason for being angry with you,"

"We just got back from almost dying, can we please not fight," Erza growled as Gray paled a little. But he brought back his previous determination to tell Erza exactly why he was so pissed off.

"Erza, the reason for this is because Natsu killed two people in there!" Gray frowned as he pointed to where the tower used to be. Erza seemed to be at a loss for words as she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. She honestly did not know what to do in this situation, but GHray was right to be angry. He knows full well what it's like to know that deaths are on your hands.

"Is that true Natsu?" Erza said trying to keep her cool. "Because we don't kill, that's not the Fairy tail way," She finished as she gave him a stern look. Natsu looked at her with the usual bored face. He thought that this would blow over, but it was apparent they were;t going to drop it.

"I know you guys, however, I did not think it mattered if they were people that were threatening your life," Natsu said nonchalantly as Gray huffed out. "But I saw that woman you had killed. She had a hole in her chest where her heart was crushed!"

Lucy covered her mouth as she stared wide-eyed along with Juvia at the pink-haired dragon slayer. "How do you call that self-defense Natsu! Gray chastised. Gray's eyes were filled with fury, but also much confusion about how someone could do this to another person.

"You're a killer! And I will never accept you in Fairy tail!" Gray finally shouted as Erza walked over and slapped him hard in the face. She had her hair covering her eyes. She was quite livid at the moment.

"Gray! You have no right to say such things! We will work through as a family, but I won't tolerate you throwing all your hatred at him! You need to forget the past and know that Natsu is not a bad person! He just needs our guidance to be led to the right path! I don't remember any of us at Fairy tail being the same when we first joined, so you don't get to say that he can't fit in. Because he fought for you even if he does not show that he cares! If he truly didn't care he would have left us and let us die! I think he has shown enough that he is a part of our family!" Erza said finishing her rant.

Gray looked at her square in the eyes and looked down. He could not bear to look her straight in the eye after that. But maybe she was right. "I'm sorry Erza, it's just that. It was such a gruesome thing to see. And I just don't understand." Gray lamented.

"I know, I'm not saying it's right. But we can't just turn our back to him," erza said as she lifted Gray's chin to look at her as she gave him a pleasant smile.

"Thank you Erza," Gray said. Natsu could not believe what Erza had said. He had never planned to be seen in such away. Why was he here, that's right. He was here to destroy Fairy tail. But it was hard to think that he could do such a thing to people who cared so much. He had never had this feeling in Grimoire Heart. Nobody ever expressed such loyalty to his friends as now. But he would not fail, he had a mission to carry out. And so he must not fall into the trap of friendship and love. He must stand strong.

Gray walked up to Natsu with a confused but stern face. He looked up because Nastu was taller than him by a few inches. "I'm sorry for being so cold, but you still need to understand why we can't let you get off easy," Gray said as he stuck out his hand. Natsu gave him a stern look and shook his hand.

"By the way, you should also know that attacking other members is frowned on too," Gray said as he walked back from the pinkete.

Erza questioned this and turned to Gray. "What do you mean attacking members Gray?" Erza inquired with a quizzical look adorned on her face. Gray pointed to his forehead as it still had some blood around the area as well as a small burn.

"When I first tried to confront Natsu about him killing that woman, he gave me this. Punched me twice in the head," gray spoke out as he glared at Natsu. The dragon slayer crossed his arms and sighed. This stuff went on his nerves. But He supposed he would change his policy on fighting if it meant that these guys weren't up to his ass about it every second.

"Natsu! this is unacceptable. You come here right now!" Erza said in an almost motherly tone. But Natsu turned away from her with his arms still crossed. Erza fumed as she yelled once more. "Don't you ignore me!" Erza berated as Lucy and Juvia both sweatdropped at the scene before them. They felt like bystanders in all this commotion.

Natsu turned his head to see Erza marching over to him and see face to face with him and started poking his chest. "You can't hurt your family, even if you love them. Because they wouldn't do that to you," Erza scolded the pinkete as he averted his eyes from hers. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Erza reprimanded as she expected Natsu to look at her.

But he held firm and refused to look her in the eye. "I know you must feel guilty, but you need to look me in the eye and tell me you won't do it again, and then you must apologize to Gray. That burn on his forehead looks pretty bad even if it is small. And you need to make it up to him," Erza told him off as she pushed him closer to Gray.

Erza looked at Natsui with those motherly eyes that anticipated him top do something soon or she would be pissed about it. Natsu turned to Gray and looked him straight in the eyes and spoke. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have acted so rash, but the way you came at me when you addressed it really pissed me off. But I promise not to do it again. Oh, and sorry about your eyes as well, "Natsu said with a forced smile that looked pretty unconvincing. But Gray smirked at this and shook his hand again.

"Ha, looks like you really do have a heart," Gray jeered. Natsu instantly shook his hand away. "Shut the hell up pervert," Natsu turned away with crossed arms as Gray laughed at his expense. Lucy and Juvia also joined in on the humor of the situation.

"We should get moving, first we..." Erza was cut off as she saw Simon running over followed by a herd of the former slaves. "Simon!" Erza ran over and hugged the big man. "I'm so glad you are still alive," Erza said as she hugged him tighter. But then she released as something came to mind.

"Wait, what bout Wally, Sho, and Miliana?!" But as soon as Erza said this the three came running from the direction of the tower. "Erza!" They yelled out as they closed in.

"How did you get out of the tower?" Erza questioned them.

Then Sho spoke up and told Erza what happened. "I had been controlled by that Crimson guy as well, but Lucy knocked me out of the tower. But when I feel I was caught by Wally who was with Miliana. The three of us escaped together. BUt the tower transformed and we barely made it out before it blew. We almost were crushed by a chunk of the tower." Sho laughed out as the other gave a sweatdrop to this.

"Well, I'm glad that you made it out alive," Erza said with a bright smile. "But what will you do now?" Erza asked. "Simon walked over to Sho and put a hand on his shoulder. The four friends turned to a huddle for a moment as soft whispers were spoken. Erza watched curiously as she waited for them to tell what they were up to.

They finally turned around and Sho spoke once again. "We have decided to help all these people find their home, and then once we have, we will travel the world. Because we have never seen the world. We were robbed of our life for so long and now we are free from the curse," Sho smiled as Erza have him a big hug.

"I hope to see you again my friends when you have completed your journey," Erza said as she said her goodbyes.

And now it would seem that all was right with the world. Natsu thought as he looked out to the ocean.

* * *

September 10, X784, Ocean

The new dawn greeted the faces of the five mages that were on the water. Natsu was feeling sick as he rode in the boat that they found on the island. It was a small sailboat and luckily for them, Natsu knew how to sail. But he could not physically do it himself, so he told the other how to do it.

"Look! There's the resort!" Lucy yelled out as the other looked to the place where it all started. Natsu huffed out as he looked at the place like a bad memory. But In his case, that would be correct, because that whole fiasco was because they went to this godforsaken resort.

"Yeah, the resort," Natsu said sarcastically as Erza glanced at him with a curious look. "You know it's not the fault of the resort that this happened," Erza said puzzled by Natsu's mysterious attitude. He seemed to be unhappy about going back to this place.

"Oh yeah, how could I forget. It was Gray whose grand idea it was to come here," Natsu chided as Gray fumed. "You know you didn't have to come flame brain. I thought it would be nice to go on vacation!" The raven-haired man yelled as he waved his fist around in the air.

"You know Natsu, we still have today stay here. We had three-day passes and this is the last one," Erza smiled as she thought of all the things she could cram into the rest of the day. She would definitely take a shower first though.

As the group made it back to the resort, they went there separate ways and said to meet back up on the beach in an hour. And so they converged back in bathing suits. Gray went off to swim in the ocean while Juvia and Lucy tanned on the beach. However, Natsu sat on the shore as the tide would soak his feet only to recede back once again.

He sat in silence as he looked at the morning sun. It was only around seven-thirty in the morning, they had stayed up a while in the night and he took a nap and a shower. But then he wanted to come and smell that fresh ocean air. The waster was vibrant blue and it was clear. There was a shark that was chasing Gray unannounced to him. But then he heard the ice princess scream out. Natsu laughed at this as he watched Gray freeze the shark solid.

Natsu laid down on the damp sand and closed his eyes. But then there was a shadow that loomed over him and he knew who it was. He could smell that it was Erza. Natsu mentally braced himself for the conversation he was expecting to have.

However, it was not the case. Erza sat next to him and watched as his chest rose and fell. "Enjoying the view," Natsu said as he looked to Erza. She looked away from his chest and out to the ocean as the waves crashed down in the distance.

Erza's air flowed in the subtle wind and the sun the reflected off her skin made her look like an angel on earth. Natsu merely put his arms behind his head and stared at the scarlet maiden. "You know Natsu," Erza said as she paused herself.

Natsu was unsure what she was going to say. But there was a certain air about this moment that made his chest tighten up. He was Nervous whenever she was like this. She looked so serious but also vulnerable. Maybe because of the lack of coverage, but she was radiating as well. He could not explain how he felt. But he enjoyed that she came to him. Because he could not say he had the courage to do the same for her.

"This is nice and all, but you'll have to face some punishment when we get back to the guild. I've talked to Gray, and we agreed that everything about how we met and what you did in the tower was to stay between us. That goes for future things that happen when we as a group are on missions. Because it's clear to us that you did not have a natural upbringing. We think you have a dark past just like we do, and so we don't want the others to judge you based on your mistakes. We would rather show them yourself that you are a kindhearted person. And it's okay if you don't open up now. Because it took me a few years to understand as well,"

Erza looked at Natsu straight in the eyes and Natsu felt encaptured by her beauty and sincerity.

"But you have to understand that we are here for you, and whenever you are ready to accept us, I will be there Natsu," Erza spoke somberly as she squeezed Natsu's hand. Natsu looked at her like a deer in the headlights. He was so unsure how to react in a situation like this. These kinds of circumstances were never taught to him. And so he could only stare dumbfounded by the simple yet strong-hearted Erza.

Natsu looked away from her gaze and at the ocean. He released his hand from her grasp and fidgeted with his fingers. Natsu sat with a questioning look on his face that slowly turned to a smile. He smiled at the sun as he felt the rays that enveloped him with blissful warmth that he had never felt before. This was a new dawn. This was a new day. And it was good.

Erza saw this and was content that she had gotten through to the pink-haired slayer. This was good, he didn't reject my words. And thus the two sat in silence watching the waves for a few hours. As the waves crashed and swirled as a reminder that life is ever-changing and flowing.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**This chapter is shorter yes. But I would like to say that I will be out with another shortly. I feel like I'm back in the grove f things and really want to keep writing. So enjoy it while this lasts! By the way, (Fire Dragons Breath) is the rainbow fire while (Fire Dragons Roar) is a regular fire. And of course. (Storm Dragons Roar) is the supercharged lightning.**

**I really hope you enjoyed this. Please leave the usual comments and criticism that you always do ad tell me what I can do to make my story and writing better so you may enjoy this story that much more.**

**Get ready for the next one! Chapter 14!**


	14. Love Or Confusion

**I do not own Fairy Tail, that belongs solely to Hiro Mashima.**

**Hello and welcome to chapter 14! Important notice! Has anyone noticed a particular theme with the names of my chapters? Just out of curiosity.**

**As always, I love to see feedback on what you think of my writing, so don't be afraid to give criticism and voice your opinion.**

**Enjoy the story!**

* * *

Chapter 14: Love Or Confusion

September 13, X784, Magnolia

The day was young as Team Erza found themselves walking through Magnolia town. They had taken their time getting back after such an ordeal and so they walked with slow and steady paces as they simply enjoyed that they were still alive. However, on the flip side of things. Natsu was quite interested in what he would have to do as a punishment.

Even though he seemed to not be at odds with anyone, Erza pretty much promised he would be punished. And thus he was slightly hesitant about entering the Fairy tail guildhall. But begrudgingly he took it upon himself to open the doors.

"Thank you Natsu," Erza spoke as she and the others walked through the doors. Everything was as it should be. There was a rowdy banter that would make anyone smile when they saw it. They were all none the wiser about what happened to them while they were away.

"Hey, guys! Welcome back! How was the trip?" Mira said is a sweet voice. She looked at them and saw they all had some bandages on except for Natsu. She instantly gathered her assumptions about what had happened. "Looks like you got more than you bargained for," Mira said as they chuckled at this. Since it was all over, they looked back with a different light about the matter. but one thing was unanimous, a common dislike of a certain blue-haired man.

"Yeah, you're telling me," Natsu said with a huff as he sat down at the bar. Mira saw that he was peeved at the moment, so she tried to make him feel better. Mira put her arm under her breasts and leaned over the bar. "Hey Natsu, how you feeling?" Natsu saw this and merely stared at her cleavage a moment before speaking up.

"Better now," Natsu said to Mira's surprise. She expected a fighter like him to be denser, but it was apparent he was not. Mira smiled. "Glad to be of help. Do you need a drink?" She said as Natsu ordered some mead. The master was sitting at the bar and saw that Erza and the others were all scratched up, so he spoke up.

"Erza, come here a moment, would you like to explain what happened. It looks like you did more than just go on vacation," Makarov spoke as he heard the whole story. Natsu, Erza, and Gray spoke there sides of the story as a few other members of the guild gathered around to listen to the tale.

Master Makarov scratched his chin as he thought for a moment. "Hmm, this is definitely troubling, so Jellal had an ulterior motive after all. I never trusted him anyway," Makarov said. "Well, children I must say that you did well under such pressure. ANd to face up to a wizard saint as well, although I guess you've done that before," Master said as Natsu nodded.

"To think that Nastu could almost die," Mira said as she thought about the pink-haired man lying dead. "Well, it was only because I fell off the tower with that bastard," Natsu fumed as he remembered having blasted him in the face five-times. But he never let go.

"Well you may not have heard, but the counsel building was destroyed as well by Jellal and counselor Ultear. They must have been working together," Makarov noted as he scratched his chin some more. "I'd say more like one was controlling the other," Natsu said.

Erza looked at Natsu with shock. "What do you mean controlled?!" Erza splurted out.

"Well, Jella looked to under the control of dark magic. Because I don't think those demonic powers were his own. So it must mean he was controlled. Possibly by that woman," Natsu said as if he was just making assumptions. But in truth, he knew exactly what had happened with the tower. He also knew he was in for an earful from the alliance as to why he ruined their plans of the R-System.

But that could wait till later. "That means that al this time, he was not in control," Erza said aloud as she went deep into thought. "Maybe so, but I still don't like him," Gray said as he crossed his arms.

They all talked for a few more minutes while going over minor detail until Erza went up the master and whispered into his ear. "There is a pressing matter that I need to speak with you about," Erza said as Makarov got the hint.

"Well then follow me to my office," The elder mage said as he hopped down from the bar. Erza looked to Gray who nodded his head and then to Natsu. However, he merely averted his gaze. And so everyone broke up the group and went back to the banter and laughter that there was before. Gray, Juvia, and Lucy went to talk at another table while Natsu stayed at the bar.

"You going to be okay Natsu? You seem a little down," Mira said as he gave him another mug. Natsu sighed as he spoke. "Yeah, but I'm afraid I have done some things that I now regret," This line of talking made Mira even more curious about this mystery man.

"What do you mean, what happened," Mira thought of all the possible things that he could be talking about. Her mind, however, was drawn to think that it had to do with Erza. And this line of thinking only angered the barmaid.

"It is Erza?" Mira said as she expected Natsu to look up in surprise. "No, it was about the enemies we fought in the tower. I should have restrained myself more," Natsu said to be convincing. It was not that one liked to kill people, merely that when it comes to enemies, he believes that their life should not be taken into account. Especially when they would kill you if you let them. So he felt that sparing life as that would later come back to bite you as a measure that he did not like to take.

When it came to his line of work, he had to keep everyone that knew his statue identity close or dead. That was why he killed that swordswoman. Because she may try to blackmail him with who he really was. And such a thing would ruin his mission. But it would seem that killing would put him at odds with his team and position as a member of the guild.

Mira thought about it a moment longer as she thought about how he said he should have restrained himself. She could not figure it out until it finally clicked. "Oh," She said as she covered her mouth. This was the exact type of reaction Natsu did not want. But he trusted that Mira would not tell anyone.

Mira saw the way Natsu reacted when she covered her mouth and felt sorrow for making him think she was disgusted with him. She grasped his hand with her own and spoke softly. "Natsu, we all make mistakes. And a few others have accidentally taken a life. But just know that we are here to help you through it. Gray was in a similar situation recently as well. So don't put yourself down," Mira said as she gave Natsu a warm smile.

"Thanks, Mira, I needed that," Natsu said with a nonchalant expression which was not missed by Mira. It was odd that he seemed so calm about it. He did not get flustered or cry about it at all. In fact, he seemed to not really care. BUt Mira put the thoughts aside.

"So," Mira said looking at Natsu. Natsu perked up at this with anticipation. Mira hesitated a little before she decided to not wait any longer. "Natsu, I would like to ask you on a date. Would you like to go?' Mira said with a sweet tone. But inside it was chaos. Her mind was screaming at her why she would just ask him out of the blue. But what really did it for her was the face he made afterward. He adorned an almost quizzical look to his face. It was cute though. He looked so innocent at that moment that she should die of embarrassment.

Mira waited a bit longer until she heard Natsu start to speak. She held her breath and her heart was pounding so loud that Natsu could hear it very clearly. "Yes, I would enjoy a date. Been a long time since I hooked up with a woman," Natsu said.

Mira almost dies when he said 'hook up' which implied that he was expected... Mira slapper her face that beat red. But luckily for her, there was none else at the bar beside Cana who was passed out anyway. So thank god nobody saw the state of disarray she was in right now.

But Mira got her wits about her and calmed herself with a long and deep breath. Natsu was chuckling in his mind as he watched as her face went from happy to frantic and then to calm. It was like his own personal show. Mira finally was cooled down enough to speak again as she asked. "So what would you like to do?" Mira questions.

Natsu thought a moment as he then retorted. "Picnic on the beach. I don't like to be around people that much," Natsu said with a calm demeanor about him. But to Mira, he looked so badass, he didn't look nervous or confused at all. He told her exactly what he wanted like she was supposed to just do anything he said.

He looked so confident in himsefl as he spoke and he did not hold back when he talked. He said exactly what was on his mind. And he looked so handsome while doing it that she would absolutely do anything he said with that smooth deep voice.

But the moment was broken as Erza yelled out to Natsu. Mira cursed Erza, but she realized she should not be jealous because she made the first move on Natsu. So she should just sit back content that Natsu said he would like to go on a date with her.

"Natsu, Master wants to see you," Erza said with a stern voice. Natsu walked around the bar and up to the staired and Erza stopped him. "I've told Master everything, and I just want you to accept whatever he has planned for you. But don't worry too much. I think he's feeling sympathetic," Erza said in a hushed tone as she passed Natsu and went down the stairs to join Gray, Lucy, and Juvia.

* * *

Natsu came to the door and knocked three times. Makarov then called out. "Come in Natsu," He said with a serious voice. Natsu walked in and closed the door and looked at Makarov who had his eyes closed and arms crossed. He looked pretty mad, and his face looked stern with no sign of softness insight.

"Take a seat," Natsu did as told and took a seat in the chair on the other side of Makarov's desk and that was when Makarov opened his eyes. But Natsu was caught off guard that Makarov's eyes were not so mad and that they were more concerned and saddened.

"Now Natsu my boy, "The elder mage paused as he looked to his hands and then back to Natsu. "Tell me, why would you do this, and don't you bullshit me either. Erza told me that Gray saw that woman you killed," Makarov said.

Natsu was taken aback by the straightforwardness, but he realized that trying to cover himself was pointless for people who were honest to a fault. "I did kill her intentionally, but not because I like too," Natsu said as he looked to Makarov. It was a strange feeling this was. He had never gotten into trouble for things such a good or bad, or because of morals.

The strange feeling of guilt he got in his chest when he saw that Makarov was not so much mad but rather confused. Confused because he really wanted to know what was wrong with me, why someone he deems his child has committed an act of murder. And so Natsu then understood what it meant to kill. He then felt that heavy feeling in his heart. Not because he cares that he kills, but because others care if he does.

"Thank you for not lying, but tell me, what do you mean my intentional but not because you have to?" Makarov spoke as he awaited Natsu's answer. "It is because I have found that through my life, people you spare tend to want to get revenge. And they come back to bite you later while being stronger than before. And so I have made a note to try and avoid this circumstance," Natsu spoke solemnly.

Makarov was surprised by this answer, it would go to tell him more about this boy's life. It would seem apparent that he has been fighting his whole life, And that he may have been all alone trying to find his way in the world. Which may explain why he is so strong. This was just as he thought when Erza had told him. Erza had said specifically that he has been leading astray because he never had a guide.

Erza personally said she believed he was a good person, just that he was brought up in an environment where the law was nothing but an inconvenience. She asked of the master to not go too hard on his because this was his first mistake. But she also expressed that she wanted to know if the master truly thought he would not do it again. Because she even said she was unsure about whether it would get through to him.

"I understand your point Natsu but think of it this way. If you were that person that was being spared, at least then you get a second chance to change your way, or rather to overcome what holds you back. So wouldn't it be the same with someone you spare? To give them another chance," Mamakrov said as he raised a brow.

"I feel that dark wizards have a hard time changing, but if it really hold true to your code of honor, I can avoid killing strikes," Natsu said Makarov noticed the strange phrasing, It was an odd way of thinking as well. He seemed to say he wouldn't kill for the sake of the guild, but not for himself. This was a little troubling to hear.

"Do you really think that taking another life is justified through matters of good and evil?" Makarov asked as Natsu thought a moment. "I believe that there is no line that divides those two, rather. That it is one's moral complex that decides. Take Jose for instance, he was a light wizard that had twisted morals," Nastu said with sincerity.

Natsu decided that he would try to make the master see his point more clearly, even if he promised to not kill. He was not going to deceive this man by just saying he was sorry and that he won't do it again. Because he knew that that woman was a person who took the lives of countless innocents.

"What about innocents, tell me your thoughts," Makarov said as he questioned the boy further, He was going to prod him until he felt satisfied.

"I feel that everyone has a right to live a dignified life. And those who live in peace should be left alone. No one should have their life taken away from them when they have no penance," Natsu said. Makarov nodded at this, this was a good answer. Natsu believed that everyone has a chance which is a good ideal.

"Tell me, do you think that those who repeatably kill or slander the law are free of guilt, or rather that can't change and repent?" Makarov said as this one seemed to stump Natsu a bit more than the others.

"Master," Nastu put on a serious face as he wanted to make his position perfectly clear for the old man. "I think that given the chances, everyone should get a few, but those that don't learn are the ones that you can't tolerate any longer. The ones that have no remorse, the ones that promise repentance only to stab you in the back. Those are the ones that have run out of chances," Natsu finished as Makarov closed his eyes and thought deeply about Natsu's actions since he first met him.

He thought about the personalities of him compared to that of the rest of his group. Erza was easy that most justified person, she has a strong sense of justice and pride in her family, she always without fail can pint out a person's flaws and works to help them better themself. She was a leader, and she could be benevolent and strick when she deemed it necessary.

Gray was more of a loose cannon, he had a sense of justice, but he was also more willing to cross the line if there was something dire. And in that pretense, he was not so justified. But he was easily the most forgiving person Makarov had met, he was calm and felt that everyone should not be judged by words, but rather by action. He was someone who could sense someone's intentions. And this was something Makrov made note of.

Because Gray had on multiple occasions been at odds with Natsu, but each time he sees past it and looks to Nastu's good side.

Then there was Natsu, the mysterious man that Makarov believed could even challenge Gildarts. But in this light, he was more of an all-around type of person. Natsu did not judge a man based on his association but rather what they believe, but he was also the most likely one to disregard the law to enact what he thought was right. But deep down, he thought that Natsu was very similar to Erza in the sense that he has very strong sense of justice in his own way.

And so Makarov opened his eyes to look at Natsu who seemed to have been waiting attentively for a little while.

"Natsu my boy, I don't believe your intentions to be misleading. I think you are a good person at heart, but you need to know the major rules of Fairy tail if you truly want to be a part of this family. One, Is that everyone person has the right to live, Two, that your guild is your family, Three, Fairy Tail secrets are to stay in the guild at all costs, and Four, always live your life to the fullest. Because nobody should live with regret in their heart," Makarov finished.

Natsu nodded to the master as he spoke. "Makarov, I have no intention of leaving. I find this place to be. Comforting," Natsu said with a slight smile.

"I see, well Natsu my boy. I believe that is enough questioning, I think I understand who you are as a person," Master Makarov said with a chuckle. But then the old man grew a mischievous look on his face. Natsu saw this and remembered that there may still be a punishment in store for him.

"Now don't you think that I forgot, you still have a punishment," Makarov said as Natsu made a curious expression. "Ok, I'm ready for anything that you have prepared for me," Natsu said as he awaited his sentence.

"Oh really, I see. Then how about this," Master Makarov said as he pulled out three pairs of red speedos from his desk.

"Your punishment is that you must be seen wearing these speedos and nothing but the speedos for a full seven days," Makarov grinned as he saw the face of utter horror that crept onto the dragon slayers face. Makarov could not help but let out a hearty chuckle as he saw the look cross onto the boy's face.

* * *

10 minutes later...

Everyone was minding their business as there was the regular banter that filled the guildhall. Erza was talking with Gray, Lucy, and Juvia. Makarov was sitting at the bar as well as Cana. Mira was minding the bar as a few others were looking at the request board. Many of the others were just sitting around and drinking as well.

Natsu closed the door to the infirmary and walked back down the hallway with nothing but a red speedo. He stopped a moment before he went out into the guildhall. This punishment was so unorthodox that he practically dies when Makarov said it. But at least it would only be one week's worth of embarrassment. So he would not fail the master and he would be only a red speedo for seven days straight. But in hindsight, at least the master gave him three of them.

And so with a huff, Natsu walked out into the open.

And suddenly there was a silence across the guild as everyone saw him. "Holy shit!" Gray laughed as he fell out of his seat. There was a roar of laughter from the men of the guild. But in retrospect. The woman all had their jaws dropped.

They all got a good view of what Nastu looked like. He had rippling muscles from head to toe. But he was also slender at the same time. His abs look like they could cut stell and it looked like his legs could break a mountain. But what really made it even better was what he was covering. They could all see in full glory the bulge in the speedo that some of the men seemed to have overlooked at first glance.

And all the women practically died. Natsu walked out trying to stay nonchalant and went over to Erza. And because he was standing his package was almost at eye level.

She stared right at it as Natsu huffed and crossed his arms. He rolled his eyes as he saw where she was staring. "Um Natsu, why are you so big, I mean wearing that?" Erza said frantically as she tried to not notice the big bulge.

Natsu put his hand to his face and shook his head. "This is my punishment," He said as Gray died from laughing as he pounded his fist on the floor.

"Punish...ment?" Erza questioned. She had to say that she would not expect this from the master, but then again. he was the master.

Makarov had spit out his drink when he saw Natsu, he realized very quickly that this may have been less of a punishment and more of an opportunity for Natsu. It would seem that all the women of the guild were fawning over him.

"Master! That is too good," Elfman said as he too was dying of laughter. But at one of the tables Macao and Wakaba were sulking. "Lucky bastard," Wakaba said. "Yeah," replied Macao.

Natsu was done with all this and so he roared out. "Okay! That's it! This is my punishment for messing up okay!" Natsu yelled with a pissed of tone.

But this did not help his case with the woman as some just died from how much confidence he has to say something like that.

"Okay, okay. But you have to know that it's kind of hard to not notice," Mira said as she grinned widely.

Natsu then huffed once more before sitting at the bar. Everyone went back to there own business. But they would never get the sight of Natsu's supposed manhood out of there brain for a long ass time. Natsu heard some murmurs around the guild.

"No wonder he's so confident," One said. "You're telling me," another said.

"Don't worry Nastu, no one's making you. What's there to make fun of," Mira winked.

* * *

A few hours later...

Natsu sat at the bar drinking for the past three hours while the rest of the guild had gotten over the initial shock. He decided to walk over to Erza and the others. "Erza, could we go on a job?" Natsu asked as he crossed his arms. Erza blushed as she thought a moment.

"But aren't you tired from fighting Jellal. That was a big... sorry. It was a long fight," Erza said as she corrected herself. Natsu shook his head as he answered. Gray had to hold his mouth to stop from laughing.

"Not particularly, I feel ready to go," Natsu said as they other thought a moment. Then Lucy who also had a blush spoke up. "Well if you can keep going, then I'm ready for more," Lucy said as Gray could not hold it any longer and burst into laughter.

"Phrasing!" Gray yelled out as he clutched his sides. "Gray!" Lucy yelled out in frustration and embarrassment.

"Well blondie, he has a point," Natsu said as he almost cracked after that as well. Maybe this was not such a bad punishment after all. It would seem that all the women were flustered and the men were intimidated. So if he had to guess, it may actually be a blessing. He had never thought to exploit his body to get women. But maybe...

"Natsu, I don't know what your thinking but you better stop," Erza said as she too was holding back a laugh. She may be more mature, but she had to say that what Lucy said was pretty funny. But it didn't help that Erza liked to read all those dirty novels. And so she could not get Natsu's... out of her mind.

"I think what she meant was she is ready to go on another job," Erza said as she stood up and walked to the request board. But Natsu grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him.

"Do you think we can go on the harder missions," Natsu said as Erza completely mind blanked on him.

"Har..der?" Erza said with a quizzical face. Natsu looked at her in disbelief. "What the hell guys!" Natsu said as he threw his hands in the air with frustration.

"Sorry Natsu, yes we can go on the more difficult missions," Erza said as she dragged him up the stairs with her. Mira leered at the red-head. But she remembered that there was nothing to it.

"Here we are Natsu, now I know you have the skill to go on an S-Class mission. But you still have to go with me because of the rules.

"Yeah I know," Natsu said as he scanned over the missions. There were only about five of them on the board at the moment. A lot less than on the other one. There was one job for J20,000,000 jewel that caught his eyes. The job said that there was a mythical creature that has cursed the island of Oahina. A tropical island five miles of the coast of a place called Southbay Town. This would definitely be interesting for sure. Plus if they are at a beach, people won't be confused as to why I'm wearing a speedo.

"How about this one?" Natsu asked showing the paper to Erza.

"Yeah, that looks like it will be fun," Erza said as she took the request from Natsu and marched down the stairs. Erza brought it to the bar and showed it to Mira. "Oh, another place on the beach. Don't meet some more old friends this time," Mira said with a smile as Erza half-heartedly laughed at the joke.

"Well I'll be sure to watch out," Erza said as Mira marked the job. She walked to the master. "Master, I'm going to take my team on an S-Class mission. I assume this will be fine. I don't think we'll have to worry much about being overpowered," Erza grinned and the Master nodded.

"Yes, this will help you strengthen your team as a unit, just be safe," Makakrov smiled as Erza nodded to him.

"Okay team, this is our next assignment, the Town of Oahina is troubled by a large beast that lurks around in the waters. It is southwest of Southbay Town. What do you guys think?" Erza said as Lucy's eyes went wide like a dinner plate.

"Twenty million! That's five for each of us!" Lucy squealed as she celebrated. "Yes, but don't forget we still have to take out this beast that haunts the waters around the island. So this will definitely make the crossing to get to the island difficult," Erza said with a stoic tone.

"Eeek!" Lucy screamed as she imagined getting gobbled up by a large sea monster. "Yeah, it will be like the Galuna island mission. Were going to have a hard time finding a way there in the first place," Gray said as he thought of ways to get around this problem.

"Well guys, I think we should leave tomorrow, I've got some things to do today," Natsu said as gray gave him a questioning look.

"What could you possibly have that's more important than this job?" Gray questioned the pinkete, as he crossed his arms. This ought to be good. Gray thought.

"Well actually, I've got a date," Natsu said as he scratched the back of his head and averted his gaze from his 'comrades'. Natsu looked to Erza who seemed to be trying to hide her surprise but failing to do so. This amused him for some reason, but he quickly disregarded it when Gray started on.

"A date, yeah right flame dick. Then who is it? Gray said with a smug look on his face. He was sure Natsu was going to fault on this and try and lie. And so He awaited to here the pathetic excuse Natsu would try and come up with.

"It's Mirajane," Natsu said as he crossed his armed and grew a serious look on his face. If Natsu disliked anything, it was people that doubted him. And so he would be sure to rub it in Gray's face.

Gray turned on his heel like a top and marched to Mira who had been listening to the conversation from behind the bar. Gray looked at the Barmaid and then back to Natsu. "You mean to tell me that you convinced her to go out with you. I call bullshit," Gray belittled.

But then Gray grew a face of utter embarrassment as Mira spoke up. "Actually, I asked him out," Mira smiled as she spoke in her sweet and lovely voice.

Gray just groaned as he felt like a fool. Damn him. "Well shit, good luck," Gray said begrudgingly as he left the guild.

"Wow, I didn't think you had a thing for the bad boys," Lucy said in a hushed tone to Mira. Mira giggled she looked at Natsu's figure.

"Well, I don't know. I don't think he's so bad," Mira said with a warm tone.

Erza then walked up to Natsu and with a smile gave him a rough slap on the back. "Already wooing the women, looks like your a player," Erza teased as Natsu swatted her hand away.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Natsu said as he rolled his eyes. But then he saw Erza get an almost piercing glare in her eyes. Natsu seemed unphased, but he could feel the intensity.

"You better not wear that to your date," SHe said as Natsu was at a loss for words.

"What do you mean, I have to wear it," Nastu said trying to defend himself. But then Mira spoke up on his behalf.

"Don't worry Erza, we were going to have a picnic on a beach anyway," The white-haired barmaid said as she grinned.

Erza seemed to understand and once more grew a slight smile. "Well, I guess you will have the perfect attire," The redhead spoke out as she grabbed Lucy by the hand. Lucy protested at first, but then she just accepted it as Erza dragged her out of the guild for some mysterious reason.

Natsu seemed to be started by the sudden disappearance, but then he just shrugged it off and sat to look at Mirajane. The barmaid looked deep into Natsu's eyes as he started up. "Well Mirajane, I think I would like to take you out before long. The sunset will be here soon," The slayer spoke softly as Mirajane nodded.

"That sounds really nice," Mirajane said with a sweet smile. But then a quizzical look spread across her face. Natsu saw this and a curious smile adorned his lips as he saw her facial expression change quite drastically.

"Are you really going to wear that though?" Mira laughed out a bit but covered her mouth in the process. Natsu shrugged as he gazed at the beauty before him. "Well I am a man of my word, and so I'm afraid I must," Natsu said as he cursed the old man for giving him such a punishment.

"Well, luckily it's been quite warm lately. I guess I'll just have to match you," Mirajane grinned at Natsu who seemed to be in thought, but he was quickly taken from his daze as Mirajane gave him a light smack on the face to get him back in reality.

"Pick me up at my house in half an hour, see you," Mira said giddily as she stormed out of the guild. Natsu was left bare of anyone left to talk to and so he sighed out. He seemed to be getting himsefl more and more off his original goal.

These people were masters of taking him out of his much-needed concentration. But at least one part of this mission was complete. He had their trust.

* * *

Half an hour later...

Natsu wondered around Magnolia as he tried to find Mirajane's house. He realized after she left that he had no clue on God's green earth where she was. And so he aimlessly meandered the now baren streets. There were scatterings of people like rats, they would scurry off as soon as you saw them and then it was quiet again.

"I should have asked someone where her house was," Natsu mumbled to himself as he looked down a narrow road for the white-haired mage. But then he came to the sight of Erza in the window of a small restaurant. But he soon realized the inconveniences of having no clothes as he looked to the sign that told him no entry without shoes or a shirt.

But the pinkete opted for the next best plan. He rapped on the large glass window as Erza looked to the sight of a familiar mop of pink hair. He was doing some kind of charade when she realized what she thought he was getting at.

She swiftly stood up and exited the restaurant leaving her desert on her table. She hitched her breath for a moment as Natsu closed in on her and began. "Do you know where Mirajane lives, she told me to pick her up at her house," Natsu asked in a calm tone.

Erza realized he was still I that red speedo when she remembered his punishment. "She lives a few blocked that way, but are you really wearing that. I know what she said. But seriously," erza said as she scanned him up and down.

Natsu grumbled before he spoke out. "You know I would not dress like this for a date. Believe it or not, I am a man of etiquette and class," Natsu spoke as Erza tried to hold back a laugh.

"I'm sorry Natsu, it's just from what I've seen of you. I'd say you were far from a gentleman. But I suppose you're better than the rest of the guys in the guild," Erza complimented as Natsu scratched the back of his head.

"Thanks. I need to go through," Nastu turned on his heel before he felt Erza grab him. He faced her to see the almost solemn look to her face. This side of her was one he saw in the tower. She looked at her most sincere but also vulnerable like this. But he thought it was. Well, he did not know. But he could look at her like this for hours.

"Natsu, do you like Mira?" Erza questioned in a very bold and straight forward approach. Natsu liked that, the direct route.

"I can't say," Natsu said giving her a firm shake of his head. Erza sighed and spoke.

"Well whatever you feel, just make sure you don't break her heart, that's my best friend. Got it?" Erza expression turned to a more stoic one, but there was a remorseful glint in her eyes that was vaguely noticeable.

"I understand, see you," Nastu left down the street as Erza too left. Completely forgetting about her desert sitting in the restaurant.

Natsu traversed what he thought was a few blocked and came to a street where he saw a dressed up Mirajane sitting on her front steps. She seemed to not notice him. He thought about what Erza said, and maybe he himself had suppressed his emotions.

But he knew he had to, he could not afford to grow close. So in a stealthy fashion, he crept up to the barmaid. He was well trained, and so he got right up behind her and reached his hand out. He lightly grasped her shoulder as he felt her jump and shortly thereafter let out a scream.

But before he could realize, she turned and punched him in the face. He held his jaw as Mirajane gasped and put her hands over her mouth.

"Natsu, I'm so sorry," She said as she apologized. but then she seemed to completely flip her attitude on him and began to scold him. "You shouldn't creep up on a girl like that," She then smiled as she saw his almost stunned face as he held his jaw.

"You have one hell of a punch," Natsu jeered. Mira then remembered the whole reason he was here.

"Natsu, come' on. I know the perfect spot," Mira dragged him to a remote shore on the large lake that was quite secluded. It was a small inlet that has clear blue water. There was a grove of trees that looked gnarled and old.

There was a light breeze in the warm air. But it was slowly becoming colder as night was prevailing on them. Mira was carrying a basket in her grasp and she set it down on the sand. She laid out a blanket from the basket that was a dark green color. It was a good color Natsu thought. It was dull and felt like he would not be overwhelmed by it. This was something new to him. He had not been on many dates in his life as a dark mage.

He sat down still clad in only that red speedo. Mira had on her usual dress, but this one was black. For some reason, black-suited her quite well. It added a nice contrast to her white hair. The dress had a white frill at the line where her cleavage shown.

Mira seemed so focused on digging in the basket, Natsu admired her through a rose-tinted gaze as he saw her dark blue eyes in an intense focus. She pulled out a small box with chopsticks. And she set it onto the blanket.

"Natsu, I made you something to eat," She said as she pulled one out for herself. Natsu grabbed the box to see that it was filled with pleasantly decorated food that had an assortment of flavors and colors. He took a small bite of one of the items and found it to be quite good. He looked up to see Mira staring intently at him.

"No worry, it's good. Thanks," Natsu said as he took his time to eat it. Mira also began to eat. there both watched as the waves gave in and out. The air was fresh and there was a pleasant aroma. But Natsu then thought that it might have been the food.

Natsu sat the box down, and it was still about half full. Mira saw this and began to question him. "What's wrong?" She thought maybe he did not like it as much as he leads on but he then spoke his mind. "I'm just not that hungry, that's all," Natsu closed the box and put it in the basket.

Mira continued to eat hers though. "You know Mirajane, I just have that feeling in my gut that I get sometimes. You feel like you could eat, but you just can't seem to find the ability," Natsu laid his head and looked at the stars that were starting to become visible as the sun was starting to set.

Natsu turned his head to look at her. "You know what I mean," Natsu said as Mira nodded. She would have said something, but she had a mouth full of food. It was nice hearing him talk to her, not just with small talk. But actual conversation. But she was however quite hungry. And so she continued to eat her food as quickly as possible so she could talk with Natsu.

Natsu saw how she quickly shoveled the food down and was impressed that she did. "Wow, you must have been starving," Natsu teased as Mira blushed. She set the basket aside and laid next to Natsu.

"I can't believe you actually wore that speedo, you must be dedicated to making the girls fawn over you," Mira laughed. But Natsu would not take it idly.

"It is something I have to do. As my punishment. Remember?" Natsu said facing Mirajane. She looked at him and nodded.

"I do, but this is a date, so I just imagined there was an exception. That's all," Mira spoke softly. Natsu saw her warm smile that could melt any man. He gazed in her eyes that seemed to never end. He felt like he could look into her eyes forever. Mira broke him out of his trance with a timid laugh as she spoke with sultry decadence.

"You know, I really like you Natsu. We may have not known each other for long. But I feel that I am a good judge of character," Mira said as she grabbed Natsu's face with both of her hands. She made small circles with her thumbs, but Natsu pulled away and looked back to the sky that was now almost void of the sun's light.

"Natsu?" Mira questioned with concern. She felt a little hurt by his actions. But she was more worried about what was wrong with him about her personal feelings. She looked at him, and he looked nonchalant. But it was odd, he seemed to always try and hide his true face.

Mira scooted over right up against Natsu. He had a strange heat that surrounded his body. She put her face close to his. "What's wrong, is this not what you wanted?"

Natsu made sure to not making eye contact as he spoke. "It's just that I never had this experience before, It's foreign to me. And I don't know how to feel," Natsu said the truth that was in his mind.

He had an interesting upbringing to be blunt. It was not exactly what you would consider a healthy environment. He spent his whole life training.

He was taught to have specific qualities ingrained into his very essence. He was to be ruthless, calculated, precise, cold, and emotionless. He was taught to become the best warrior in both combat and stealth. Hades made sure to push him extra hard and gave him the most attention of all his pupils. This was why he was always assigned the best missions. Because he was the ultimate weapon of Grimoire Heart. Trained gruelingly by Hades to be perfect in every way.

And so maybe he did have problems with interaction. Because he now has trouble expressing what he feels inside. There are times he only feels numb. But there are times he lets himself release the years of pent up emotions. And it so happened that Erza was there that last time he did.

Mira questioned what he meant. What did he mean he did not know how to feel. Maybe there was more to him than meets the eye.

Mira was practically breathing on Natsu as she spoke. "Natsu I don't what's wrong, but what I do know is that it's okay to show your feelings," Mira spoke with heated breath. Mira cuddled up to him trying to use her body to seduce him.

"Maybe so, It's just all new to me," Natsu said as he looked at Mira who was only inches from his face. "It's not you Mirajane, I just felt I don't deserve to have something like this happen to me," Natsu spoke with a dull tone. Mira observed his face that show no emotion like a stone wall. What was he trying to prove? He was around trusted people.

But then she was reminded of how long Erza was closed off, so they would just have to let him come to terms on his own. "Natsu, I think you're too hard on yourself. I think you just need to accept that other people care about you. Some more than others," Mira warmly glowered as she cupped his face once again. They were both sitting on there knees at the moment.

Natsu decided that he might as well go with it. "You know Mirajane, I think you're right," Natsu said as he thought up something else. "I'm not sure If I feel the same, but I can give it a try," Natsu said with a small forced smile.

"Why do you call me that, I mean by my full name?" Mira asked the pinkete. Natsu looked up and put his hand to his chin. He thought a moment longer before he spoke his mind. "Well, I just like the sound I guess. Is it a problem?"

"No, not at all. It's just that most call me Mira," She giggled at the simplicity of his answer. But she could not complain, it was her name after all. "Well I'm not most people," Natsu jeered as Mira let out another laugh.

"Certainly, I don't think many would have the confidence to go on a date dressed like that," Mira spoke as Natsu remembered his attire or lack of. "I couldn't very well leave a beauty like you to wait.

Mira blushed from what he said. He thought I was beautiful. She knew herself already, but coming from him it was special. She shifted to lay back down on the blanket as Natsu followed suit.

"Have you ever thought that we are insignificant in the grand scheme of things?" Natsu said as he looked to the dazzling stars. Mira arched her brow as she turned to see Natsu. "No, but I guess that I never learned much about what was beyond," Mira softly nudged Natsu's arm with hers as she pointed to a bright light that flashed in the night sky.

"Look at that!" She exclaimed as Natsu looked to see the light fade. It was strange to think and wonder about what exactly was out there. Maybe that's where Igneel went. "That was not something you see every day," Mira cheered as she gave off a hearty laugh.

"You know what Mirajane, I think I know what Master meant when I first asked the meaning of Fairy Tail," Natsu voiced as Mira perked up. "Really, what do you think?" She asked sincerely. She had made her own assumptions from her years here. But Natsu was new.

"I think that the point is to try to experience as much as possible, and maybe you'll never quite find what you're looking for. But in the end, your journey was all worth the while, so it's like one big metaphor. I think the first master was very wise to create such a deep rooted name," Natsu gave off a smile that seemed genuine.

"Wow," Mira whispered in awe. "That was nice, I'm glad you shared this with me," Mira flipped over so she lay on her stomach and sat up on her arms. She leaned over Natsu who just watched as she moved over him.

"You are special to me Natsu, and I don't want to regret later," Mira spoke as Natsu understood what she meant. "I think I feel the same, but I will have to warm up to you," Natsu said to her.

"I know you don't feel the same right now, but I hope to change that," Mira finally leaned forward and pressed her soft lips against Natsu's. Natsu relished how she tenderly handled him. But he could feel her tongue poking the entrance to his mouth. And He obliged to open. His eyes were still open while Mira had hers closed.

They started a battle of tongues as they both felt the inside of each other's mouth. Mira laid her chest onto his and Natsu finally closed his eyes. He decided to submit to her and they found themselves in a heated struggle.

They kept on until the need for air surfaced and they split the connection. Mira breathed out heavily as she stroked Natsu's face with her thumb once more.

But before she could say anything Natsu pressed his lips to hers once more. They then continued their lip lock. Natsu let his hands wander her voluptuous form. This was one of only a handful of times he had been able to feel up a woman. And so he would let this feeling linger as long as he could.

He cupped her ass in his hands and squeezed. Mirajane moaned into his mouth and she shifted to be atop him. They went a moment longer before breaking up once more. "That was, wow," Mira said. She had never been in such a heated position before. And it was so enticing.

Natsu went down to her neck and started to give light butterfly kisses down her chin. Then to her neck, and Mira gave a soft moan. He squeezed her rear some more as she ground her core on his manhood. Mira bit her bottom lip as Natsu bit her neck and she felt a small shiver go down her spine.

There was a hickey that was left from him biting and then he proceeded to move back up. He kissed her once more and they entered into yet another deep kiss. Mira put her had onto Natsu's right shoulder where he had his black Fairy Tail shown.

Natsu put one of his hands under Mirajane's dress and was rubbing the outside of her panties. He could feel her rocking her hips with him and she moaned again and again from his touch. Natsu was so enveloped at the moment that he let himself slip. And the mark on his arm began to glow a dark purple color.

Mira saw bits of light through her closed eyes and opened to see his arm give off a glow. She continued the kiss while watching the guild mark morph into one that looked vaguely similar. She stared a moment before pulling away from the heated embrace of Natsu.

"What is that, wait," Mira's eyes seemed to widen as Natsu was still in a heated fervor.

But then like a ton of bricks, Natsu realized what happened. He let down his guard and his magic that hid his previous guild mark was visible to all the world. He at this moment did the only thing he could think of and let his instincts take over like he was trained to do. And even if he would later regret it, he had to preserve his cover.

Mira could not believe her eyes. Could this be what was wrong, why he tried so hard to become unattached? "That's the mark of Gri..." Mira froze as she felt a sharp pain in her neck. She didn't even see what happened until she looked down at Natsu who was biting her neck. But not like he had done before.

He pulled out his fangs and then they retracted back into his mouth. But not before some purple liquid fell from one of the fangs. Mira reached to her neck and felt two puncture marks on her neck. And then she realized as she felt her body start ceasing up.

She fell to her back as Natsu looked at her with worried eyes. "This, Natsu. Why did you," Mira said as she tried to speak, but she found the ability harder and harder.

"I'm sorry Mirajane, I didn't know what to do," Natsu tried to recompense with her as she began to falter. "I, for..g..." Mira stopped her speech as she was thoroughly paralyzed. Natsu put his ear to her chest and she had an extremely slow heartbeat. This meant he pulled it off without killing her.

"God damn it," Natsu said as he stared at Mira. "I'm so sorry," Natsu said as he put his forehead to hers. He had officially put her in a living hell. She was completely paralyzed and in stasis like she was dead. Her heart was slowed and her breathing was faint. But she would stay like this until the effect wore off. But she still had a chance of dying. There was still poison in her blood and now she would have to battle it out.

Mira could not move or speak, but she could still see and hear everything. And so she looked further at the mark on Natsu's arm and in her mind she understood Natsu. It seemed to make sense now. But she was stuck, she could not warn her friends. Why would someone from Grimore heart infiltrate the guild? But she stopped when she looked at Natsu.

"Mirajane, I know you can hear me. I didn't mean for this to happen, I swear. But now that you know my secret, I can't let you out of this. This is my fault for letting my feelings get the better of me. Please don't put it against me, but I have a mission to follow through," Natsu finished with a solemn face.

Mira merely sat and took the information. How could this be, the man she wanted was her enemy. He really was the bad boy type. How stereotypical. Of course, he had to be a dark mage. But even though she now knew that he put her friends at risk. She still couldn't help how she felt.

After a few more minutes, Natsu put his hands under Mira's back and thighs. He lifted her bridal style and started to the guild. "Come' on, let's get back," Natsu spoke softly as he walked through the streets under the cover of night.

He had hoped the date would have gone off and he could get back to his day, but now he had a full load of shit to deal with. He approached the guildhall that would by now be almost empty, but he hoped the master would be here still. He opened the door and he saw that Makarov was still in his office. There was a light coming from the upstairs that confirmed this.

Natsu then yelled out to the master. "Makarov, Mirajane's been injured," He asserted as he heard shuffling and soon the master was running down the stairs. "What happened my boy?" Makarov furrowed his brow as he scanned Mira's figure. He saw the large puncture marks and knew what must have happened.

"She was bitten, there was nothing I could have done. I'm sorry Makarov," Natsu spoke in half-truths as the master took a knee. "He put his middle and index finger to her throat and felt a slow but steady pulse. At least it wasn't a weak one.

"How did this happen? Where were you two?" The elder mage looked confusedly at the pink-haired slayer.

"We were on a date. In a small inlet by the lake. But before I knew it, she was bitten," Nastu spoke as Makarov seemed to get a better understanding.

Makarov grew a doubtful face, but then he decided to ask no further. "Well, I hope she'll be fine. Let's take her to Porlyusica, and maybe then we can be at ease," Makarov walked along with the practically naked Natsu to the forest hut.

They made way into the forest and when they arrived, Makarov knocked. Then with a growl, the door opened to a grumbling Porlyusica. "What now! Why do you all have to keep bothering me," The elder woman rasped as Makarov stepped out of the way to show a Mira that looked like a plank of wood.

As Porlyusica saw this, she turned to let Nastu in and he laid the beauty on the bedtable. The elder woman came over and shoved Natsu out of the way and examined the girl.

"Well, this is the oddest thing," She mumbled as Makarov perked up and asked. "What, do you know what's wrong or what bit her?"

"That's the thing, I have no clue. There aren't any snakes with fangs of this diameter around here. And this poison looks foreign as well. Not to mention that I've never heard of a snake that paralyzes like this," SHe examined with thoughtful curiosity.

"What can we do then?" Makarov questioned. But Porlyusica merely shook her head.

"I'll have to run some tests. But in the meantime, you should leave me to my work. You can check up tomorrow morning," The elder woman finished as she shooed the two out of her hut.

"I'll see you in the morning my boy, and don't worry. I'm sure Porlyusica can solve this mystery," Makarov said with a face more downcast than he intended.

* * *

That's exactly what I want to avoid, Natsu thought. As he strode around the town and found himself atop the guildhall. Looking at the stars and deep in thought. If Mira was able to be cured. And no matter how much she liked him, he knew she would still try to tell her friends.

And so Natsu would have to go about making sure this was kept under wraps until the time was right. This would prove to be harder than it would seem. It was always tough to keep the best secrets. He knew this would happen, even someone like him slips up once or twice.

Then Natsu felt a small source of magic radiating from an orb that he had left in his clothes. He went into the now empty guild hall and into the infirmary where his clothes were. He would never have thought that this could be a punishment, but it was proving to be more cumbersome as time went on.

He reaches into a pocket and grabbed a small glowing orb. Then with a bit of magic, the orb lights up with the image of master Hades agitated face.

"I see you finally decide to answer one of my transmissions," Hades voice was raspy and gruff. He was most definitely having a bad day, Natsu thought to himself. "Sorry Master, I have been up to my neck in bullshit lately."

Hades smirked at this comment from his most trusted pupil. "Well, I did assign this to you for a reason. But I assume you know why I call you. Because I have heard of many things that the fairy tail guild has been involved in. And things that you have been involved in."

Hades returned to a stern tone. "I know you have fought that wizard saint, and a dragon no less. This has brought attention to you. But I can't in gods hell understand why you took it upon yourself to destroy our long planed R-system. Zeref may not be dead, but we still had use of the tower's capabilities."

Natsu nodded in understanding. "Yes Master, I know. But I was out of my element at the moment. Not to mention that Jellal did not help out with the situation at all," Natsu spoke as Hades stroked his beard.

"I know, I heard from Ultear that he had transformed, she was taken completely by surprise. Who knew that all the years of dark magic controlling him could create such a creature," Hades said closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"Yes, I know. But I don't think that's the last we'll see of him. I could feel he was still alive," Natsu said nonchalantly as Hades nodded. "I know this already, Ultear was sure that he still walked among the living. But Natsu, I must ask. What are you wearing?"

Natsu signed and explained the position he found himself in. "I see, Makarov is still soft as ever. No matter," He concluded as he looked to bring a concerned look to his face.

"Natsu, I must warn you. There is something going on with our shadowy fourth ally, and I feel that you should be on your toes. I just want you to be prepared for any nefarious business. You should know already that that maniac Azrael is planning something big. Even though we should not worry too much about them for the moment, I have scouts that have told me that there ready to start something soon," Hades softly spoke as if he was trying to tell a secret.

"Does Ultear know about this?" Natsu asked. Master Hades merely gave an affirmative shake of his head. "Yes, she is the only other I trust to withhold the knowledge."

"Master," Nastu said and Hades looked up from his thoughts. "I have some trouble right now, I had to 'paralyze' someone," Natsu said as Hades knew exactly what he meant.

"Damnit boy! Did you at least give them enough?" Hades questioned. "Yes, Master Hades," Natsu spoke and answered only what he was asked to.

"How did this happen?" The old dark mage puzzled. Natsu was hesitant to answer. Knowing full well that Hades had taught him to resist the seductive nature of females. "It was a woman," Natsu looked down in an almost ashamed manner.

"I've told you before to watch for the wiles of women. Natsu, you must keep your position concealed. And this means you must remain distant to those around you. I know I can trust you, my lad. Because you are the best of the best. I will update you if there is anything new but till then. Don't contact back, you must keep a low profile."

"Yes Sir," Natsu finished as the transmission cut out and he hid the orb back into the pocket he obtained it from. This was going to be interesting. To think that they were on the move. He had never really met any of the members except for Azrael himself. But he supposed that nobody had seen any of his underlings.

But then Natsu thought back to a time when he first met the mysterious dark mage. He was only fourteen at the time, but he was immensely frightened by the man. His power, even though hidden. Was still immense. But the thing that stood out the most was that he seemed not all that bad compared to the others. His magic did not have an evil atmosphere to it. It was pure as the fresh spring air.

And that was what was most concerning to Natsu at the time, it was the question of why he was even in this dark mage meeting. But he supposed his own magic was not all that evil-looking. It was only his personal malice that made it a force of darkness.

Natsu left his thought as he left the hall. there was not much he could do right now. He could only hope that Porlyusica wouldn't find out a way to break his spell. But it had been perfected over many years, and so he figured it would take to long to solve. And by then, his mission would be complete.

There was an eerie silence in the town of Magnolia as Natsu strode around. He had to just focus on what was in front of him. And that was his mission tomorrow. Natsu stopped and turned his head to see the fairy hills apartments over the top of some buildings.

"This mission has turned out so wrong," Natsu spoke to no one as he walked to the building.

* * *

September 14, X784, Magnolia

The morning was bright as everyone headed to the guildhall. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits as well. And this made it even harder for the Master as he was going to break the news of Mira to the guild. He would have to find a suitable way to relay it though.

Gray walked in with Erza behind and he saw Nastu sitting at a bar that was unattended. "How'd the date go, did you fuck it all up?" Gray teased the pinkete. But Natsu was not having it and he merely shook his head. "It was going fine, I thought I might get some. That was until something quite unfortunate happened," Natsu sneered as Gray stood surprised by the rigidness.

"Didn't have to say that much, but good job I guess," Gray said as he walked to talk with Lucy.

"What happened Natsu?" Erza asked as she sat next to the pinkete who was still clad in his red speedo. But before he could answer Makarov had gathered the attention of the guild by clearing his throat.

"Listen up brats! I have some unsettling news for you. Mira has been bitten by something and is in a state of paralysis. Porlyusica said we could check-in in the morning and so if you'd like to go see with me, I would not stop you," The master finished as the guild was put in a state of minor panic.

Then a few people walked up to Natsu. "Hey flametard, how come you didn't protect her!" Gray steamed as Elfman seemed to huff. "A real man protects a lady," The large man said with a bitter tone.

"There was nothing I could do," Natsu said as he crossed his arms. Gray puffed up at this. It was one thing after another with him.

It waws Erza's turn to get frustrated with the slayer. "Natsu, I'm sure you could have done something!" Erza yelled as Natsu became increasingly sullen by the attention.

"If you must know, we were both too captured at the moment to have done anything," Natsu said as Erza bit her tongue. "Oh, I didn't know," Erza said as she understood what he meant. She had read plenty of novels to know that at the moment there was nothing but a heated passion.

"How could you," Elfman squabbled. But Natsu merely got up and left the guild afterward leaving the rest of them to feel bad.

"Damnit, to think he is getting women before me," Gray cursed. "Maybe that's because he keeps his clothes on," Lucy jeered. Gray merely shrugged at this and went to see Mira. There was a large number that went to see the state of their favorite barmaid.

They gathered in the hut and then an irked Porlyusica went on to explain what she has found so far.

Makarov started off by asking the essential question. "So Porlyusica, have you found anything?" He asked as the hermit went on to explain some findings.

"Well I can't say for certain, but the poison is not as lethal as other poisons, even though it has the chance to kill, It does not have a high chance. But I think that she is still conscious, she may be in suspended animation. But I believe she can still see and hear everything. I tried to remove the poison, but it seemed to have spread around the body in an incredible time. Almost as if propelled by something."

Natsu listened carefully, and he was glad to see that she was far from the mark. And so he would rest easy knowing that he had time.

"Mira, if you can here me, know that you'll be fine and that we are here for you," Erza said with a smile. Gray walked up and also gave some words to the white-haired woman. "Yeah, just make sure you keep fighting," Gray spoke out.

Mira saw as Nastu looked down at her and she could not contain the feeling of helplessness. And as much as she tried, she could do nothing to warn her friends. Even though she believed he was good at heart, she still knew that he was a double-edged sword.

"Aren't you going to say something Nastu, she can hear you," Gray said with a questioning expression adorned on his face. Natsu looked to Gray and back to the frozen form of Mirajane.

"I know," Natsu ended as he strode out of the hut. Gray seemed to fume at this and he marched to try and scold Natsu. Erza and Lucy followed as well.

"Natsu, come on man, you're making it hard to be on good terms," Gray said trying to understand why Nastu was acting like this. "I know you must feel bad that this happened, but you should say something if you really do like her," Gray finished.

"Don't worry Gray, I think she understands enough. Let's just get on with this mission," Natsu asserted as Erza looked downtrodden.

She came up and put a hand to his shoulder. "Natsu, you shouldn't just push her away because of a mistake," Erza said trying to cheer up the slayer.

"I just don't think I could have said something with so many people around. I'll visit when we get back, how about that?" Natsu said as Erza and the others nodded in understanding.

"I understand, but in the meantime. Let's kick some sea monster ass," Gray said with a smirk.

"You're speaking my language," Natsu said as the four went off.

To the cursed ocean waters of Oahina.

* * *

**To be Continued...**

**Thanks for your patience with me and I hope you enjoyed this longer chapter. This is the lead up to the next events in my story. And so the team will go to yet another island, hopefully not with demon cults this time though.**

**Anyway, this one was 12 thousand just so you know. I will be coming out with the next time in the next week or two so just prepared. I rather enjoy this story and I hope you do too. So as always leave any comments and criticism that you have and don't be afraid to lecture me. I can handle it. **

**Now get ready for the next one! Chapter 15!**


	15. The Ocean

**I do not own Fairy tail, that belongs solely to Hiro Mashima.**

**Hello and welcome to chapter 15! I hope you enjoyed the last one too. This chapter is another completely original one just like the last one. I should be getting back to canon stuff in a little bit, so don't worry. But if you are enjoying the original stuff, then please tell me.**

**Anyway, feel free to leave comments and criticism on what you think of this chapter, I love feedback. It is what motivates me to continue the story. Also as a side note, if you could PM me on any good stories where Nastu is a dark mage. Then I would greatly enjoy that. So as always. **

**Enjoy the story!**

* * *

Chapter 15: The Ocean

September 16, X784, Southbay Town

Natsu, Erza, Gray, and Lucy arrive in Southbay Town in mid-morning. There is a healthy amount of hustle and bustle in the town as they try to find someone who is in charge. The journey here was a grueling two-day venture first by train and then wagon. Natsu particularly hated this trip, he had opted to go on foot, but Erza and the others talked him out of it.

"We should try and find some officers," Natsu said as he looked around the street they were walking down. He was catching some odd looks from mothers who thought he was some sort of creep. And so he realized how this punishment affected how people viewed him. This punishment really was pretty ingenious, It was a full week of nonstop torture.

"Hey look there," Gray said as he pointed to a sign that hung from a stone building. And indeed it was a jailhouse, so Natsu went up to the front entrance and was greeted by a puzzled rune knight. "Sir, you need to leave," The knight said but Natsu shoved the man out of his way.

"Excuse me, we are mages from Fairy tail. We are here on official business concerning the curse around Oahina," Natsu spoke loud and clear as to not be misheard. Even though the rune knight that sat behind the counter gave him a disdainful stare, he soon realized that this wizard was one of those weirdo guild mages. Or so he thought.

"Okay sir, we have heard about the problem. But what do you expect from us?" The main said with an insulting inflection.

"I don't expect many would want to risk their lives to help us get to the island. I imagined that the military could help us," Natsu said with a glare. The knight seemed to react accordingly and stuttered out.

"Sorry sir, I didn't mean to offend. We can give you a boat to get there, but you will have to cross the waters on your own. And as long as you return the boat, there will be no charge," The rune knight said as Natsu seemed to be satisfied with the answer.

"Thanks for your cooperation, this is of much help," Nastu spoke as he put on a nonchalant expression.

"The boat is docked on the east military port on block 2-A. It shouldn't be hard to find. I'll send you off with admission, just hold on a second," The knight said as he went to contact a higher up.

The others were in a state of awe. They had never seen someone get things done so efficiently. "You know Natsu, for all the shit I hive you, you sure know how to get information," Gray said with a hushed tone.

"Well, my occupation before Fairy tail required I excel in information gathering. You get to know how to talk to people to get what you want," Natsu spoke as the others nodded.

"I guess my decision to let you join our team was not misplaced," Erza said with a grin as she bumped Natsu's arm. He merely gave her a nod before the rune knight came back to the counter.

"Okay, you have been given the authorization to use the boat, and here is your ticket into the base," The knight gave Nastu a large white slip that had all sorts of small informational text. But the main part was in large lettering. It read that he had access to level one entry to base operations. And so Natsu put a content smirk on his face.

"I won't forget this sir," Natsu said as he left the building and went off to the base he saw on his way into town. "So what about this monster, It's still lurking about right?" Lucy questioned as she quivered a moment.

"Yes, this will be a problem, but it seemed that this is the only way, just be happy we get an actual ship and not some tiny rowboat," Nastu spoke and Lucy agreed.

"I think we should ask about the sightings of the beast before we head off. That way we can plot a course where it is spotted the least," Erza suggested.

"It sounds like we have a plan," Gray concluded as they went to the base. They meandered to the entrance gate where there stood two guards at the post. "Halt!" One said as they crossed their spears together and gave Natsu and the gang an intense glare.

"What business do you have here?" The other said as Natsu showed them the slip. The man gazed at the slip with squinted eyes a moment longer before he lifted his spear. The other man did so as well and the guard spoke.

"You may enter, block 2-A is on the far said over that way," The man pointed and Natsu nodded. "Thanks," Natsu lead on and the rest followed.

The others were quite surprised by how Natsu was leading the team. He didn't even tell them to follow, he must have just assumed since he was technically the strongest that he was the one most fit to lead. Erza was most interested in this development. In previous missions, Natsu had left everything up to her. He had seemed to be uninterested with the mission, But now he was leading like he had done it a million times before.

But in reality, Erza was actually glad to see Natsu taking the lead on a mission for once, but to be honest. After all the big fights he had been in lately, it was hard to not follow his courage and knowledge. It was apparent to everyone that he had more experience than all of us even if we didn't want to admit it.

"Natsu, do you have a plan if we run into the monster on the water?" Erza asked as Natsu scratched his chin., He thought a moment longer before he indulged her.

"No, all we can do is try to get there first," Natsu said bluntly as Erza sighed. It was apparent that not everything was planned out.

As they reached the destination on the east side, they ran into a few knights that were walking around. And Natsu was confronted by a man that wore an officer's uniform.

"Are you the mage that the jailhouse guard told me about?" The officer inquired.

"Yes, that would be me and my fellow wizards. We are looking for a passage to the island," The pink-haired dragon slayer conveyed.

"Very well, as you know there are dangers in the waters, but I can assume you knew that already," The officer said as Natsu nodded. "If that is all, your ship is ready to go," The officer finished as he turned. But Natsu stopped him before he could go any further.

"Actually, we were wondering if you could tell we were the best route to the island was," Natsu uttered. This information would help them a great deal, so hopefully, this guy knows what he's talking about.

The man scrunched up his eyebrows and thought a moment as he thought back to some reports he had heard recently. "The beast has been spotted most often on the western side of the island. So in truth, the best route would be straight head-on. But if you wanted to be safe, you could always head far left to escape any chance," The officer spoke as Natsu acknowledged.

"This has been very helpful, may I ask oy you your name?" Natsu asked as the man gestured to shake hands.

"I'm Officer Cain Yeres. Or just Officer Cain," The man shook Natsu's hand with a firm handshake that Nastu thought was a good sign. "The pleasure is all mine, Natsu is the name," The pinkete introduced.

"This is my team, Erza, Gray, and Lucy," Natsu spoke. The others gave questioning glances to each other when Natsu said that it was his team. They all shrugged and greeted the new man.

"Hello, Officer Cain, nice to make your acquaintance," Erza spoke out. She also gave the man a handshake before Nastu turned to the ship.

"You'll be happy you made a friend on the inside," Cain said as he gave Nastu a nod. Natsu in a sort of sarcastic way gave the man a thumbs up. Erza seemed to have noticed this and went up next to the pink-haired slayer.

"You could give him more acknowledgment you know," Erza spoke in a whisper. But Natsu just kept on to the ship. He walked to the small gangplank. The boat was a good size, but not too large either. It was only about thirty-five feet long. There were a single mast and steering tiller. It was a simple but efficient design for short voyages.

Erza saw that the sail was up and that there were some ropes tied down. But she knew nothing of how to sail. "Hey um, do you know how to sail Natsu?" Erza questioned.

"Yeah, I don't want you doing this if you have to clue what to do," Gray spoke as Lucy agreed with him.

"Don't worry," Natsu sighed as it was obvious he would have to do everything himself. "I know how to sail," Natsu said as he pulled the third rope that was tied and the sail came down, but then the boom came swinging around and he went to warn them.

"Duck," Natsu said as Erza and Lucy saw what he meant. But Gray didn't get the memo and he was clocked in the face by the rod of wood. "Oww, shit," Gray said as he felt like his head was pounded into the ground.

"Erza, can you man the rutter?" Natsu said as he pulled another rode tot he left and the sail faced to the right side and then it happened. They all heard a creaking sound as the boat slowly started moving.

"Okay Erza, pulled to the right," Natsu said as he motioned to his right as he looked back to see that she did as he told. The wind was decent and so they were able to get a good pace going. They saw the island in the distance were soon as they sailed into the sprawling bay.

The sun was high and the air was salty and fresh. And the serenity of the moment seemed to put them all in a peaceful trance. But it would not last. The waves at the edge of the bay started to get choppy and the sea was rough compared to the calm water in the bay.

"Okay guys, this is where it begins, he said that the beast had been seen on the other side of the island," Natsu pointed at the other side of the island and they nodded.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Gray said as he looked out to the ocean that lay between them and the island's shore.

Erza gazed at Nastu who looked very focused. It was a delight to see him so occupied with sailing the boat. That way she could stare without him questioning her. In that speedo, it looked like he was just another beach bum. But it was surprising he could sail. Who would have thought?

"Erza, your staring," Lucy said in a whisper as she spoke in Erza's ear. The red-head jumped at this but then just shrugged it off. "Sorry," Erza said with slight embarrassment.

"Oh don't worry, I know how you feel," Lucy said referencing to Nastu who was leaned back and pulling the rope to turn into the wind.

"How did you learn to sail Natsu?" Lucy asked as he looked back at the blondie.

"Actually I learn myself, I was stranded on an island somewhat like this one and had to find a way back," Nastu spoke. In truth, master Hades had left him there and gave him the challenge of finding his way back to base in a month. But he returned in only two weeks. Master Hades was quite impressed when I showed up so early.

"How did you get stranded on an island?!" The blond questioned with a shocked demeanor.

Natsu seemed to gain a faint smile at the memory as he spoke. "You know blondie, I don't really remember," Natsu lied as the others sweatdropped at his nonchalant forgetfulness.

"You know, for some reason, I feel like only you would forget why you got stranded," Gray smirked with a sarcastic tone in his voice. Lucy seemed to laugh as Erza also gave out a light chuckle.

"Aside from the obvious way, how did you find your way off?" Erza asked.

"I fashioned a makeshift boat and I had to weave a sail from the large leaves of the trees there," Natsu stated as he looked around the ocean. There was a change in the atmosphere that put him at the edge. But he could not see anything that would be an immediate threat.

"That sounds hard to do," Lucy said. "Yeah, It took a full week to do the sail alone, but enough of this. Do you feel the change?" Natsu said as the others then realized what he was talking about. There was a strange feeling in the air as they grew closer to the island.

If he had to say, they were still three miles from the island. And the ominous feeling only got stronger. "Any ideas on what this is?" Erza inquired. Natsu just shook his head and they were all put on alert. They watched as the waves seemed to get rougher and the boat started to rock a bit more than it had previously.

"God damn it," Natsu said as he fell over and held his mouth. And then everyone remembered his terrible motion sickness. And then they all seemed to be more curious why he was not immediately affected this time.

"I forgot about your motion sickness, are you going to be able to keep going?" Erza questioned the pinkete.

"I think it'll be fine. Wait," Nastu suddenly put his head over the side and vomited over the port side of the boat. "Okay, I feel better," He said as he grabbed hold of the rope." Everyone seemed to question him a moment before they resumed trying to find out what this presence was.

"I think we should just keep going, don't worry about the beast. I don't think that this is it," Natsu concluded.

"What else could it be?" Gray asked the pinkete in a slightly doubtful tone. "It feels like magical energy, but I can't pinpoint the source," Natsu said as he grabbed a hold of the pendant on his silver chain necklace. He put it on after he contacted Hades. He had forgotten that it was still in his pocket. It was the one he had lost in Cape Town.

Erza seemed enraptured by the necklace Nastu wore. She had never even given it a second thought in passing. But then she looked at the pendant when he released it from his grasp and she immediately recognized it. She remembered she had a necklace like that given to her long ago by someone. But the face in her memory is blurred and she can no longer remember who exactly it was.

But she would recognize it anywhere. It was the silver cross-sword necklace she kept in her top drawer. And she was certain that it was the only one of it's kind. But it didn't make sense. How did he have it? So many unanswered questions were spiraling in her head. But then something hit her.

She remembered that strange night when she felt like she was being watched. And then suddenly something had opened the window. But then she thought that maybe it was not a matter of opening, but rather of exiting. It was hard to forget something like that easily. Was it Natsu that was there at my house? But I didn't see anyone. I only felt a presence.

But Erza was pulled from her thoughts as Lucy shook her shoulder. "Hey Erza, we are getting close," Lucy said referencing to the shore that was only a mile or so away. You could see all the tropical trees and wildlife, as well as the small town on the northwest side of the island. But it looked like they would land on the northeast side instead.

Erza decided to forget about the necklace for now, but she would not put it aside forever. This was something that she would have to confront Nastu about. As she thought this, almost on instinct. Natsu looked at her and then he realized he was wearing her necklace. And so he imagined that was why she must be staring at him like.

It wasn't even a moment later that Erza stopped staring. "Hey Erza, get your head of the clouds, we need you to present," Nastu scolded as Erza seemed to fume a bit at being told off.

"Looks like we made it after all," Gray said as they were about to have the boat become beached. Natsu let the boat hit the shore and they slid up the sand until about half the boat was on land.

"Welcome to heaven," Natsu joked as he leaps off the boat and to the soft yet coarse sand.

The others got off and they joined him on the sandy shore. "I think we should move the move farther inland," Gray said as he saw the tide washing up to the boat.

"Your probably right, we don't know how long we'll be here," Erza agreed as she then requiped. **Requip: Giants Armor!** She cried and then in a flash she was clad in the yellow suit of armor. Natsu went up next to her and he tied a rope at the bow of the boat.

Natsu, Erza, and Gray grabbed hold of the rope and they heaved as the boat crept up the beach. But they were able to get it to where the trees started and Natsu tied the boat to a large palm tree.

"Good work guys," Erza said as she dusted off her hands. And then in a flash, she was returned to her normal Hearts Cruz armor.

"Let's just get going, I don't want to be here long. I have a strange feeling about this place," Natsu said as the others agreed. They stared down the beach in silence. That was until Erza sped up and walked alongside Natsu.

"Natsu, there is something I need to discuss with you," Erza said as Natsu glanced in her direction.

"Okay, but it better be quick, we will be in town soon," Natsu spoke as Erza seemed to gain an irked expression across her face.

"It's about that necklace of yours. Or rather my necklace," Erza said trying to beat around the bush a little. She did not know the best way to confront him about this.

Natsu cursed in his mind why he had put the necklace on, all it did was bring him more grief. "I don't know, I just found it. Maybe it just looks like yours," Natsu lied as Erza seemed to question herself. She wondered if she was just being paranoid.

"Are you sure, It looks just like the one I have," Erza asked once more and Natsu seemed to sigh.

"I think you should drop it," Natsu said as he scowled and started walking faster. Erza only fumed more at this. He wasn't even going to acknowledge her, damn him. This only solidified her position. But she was soon taken from her thoughts.

"The town of Oahina, here we are," Gray spoke out as he passed Erza. But he turned to the red-head and asked. "What were you two talking about?" Gray inquired. He saw that Natsu walked off from her after them talking.

Erza hesitated a moment and held her arm with a dazed look on her face. "It was nothing," Erza said with a weak smile. But Gray was not convinced, he saw right through her. But he decided not to press any further for her sake.

Lucy caught up to them and they all saw as Natsu continued into the town. It would seem he did not even care that they followed or not. "You know Erza, I think you should have saved what you had to say until after the mission, because now he will be distant the rest of the trip," Gray implied as Erza just sighed.

"I know, but I don't know how much I would have been able to focus because of it," She stammered out as she stared into the bright blue sky.

"What do you guys mean, what about him?" Lucy asked having no clue what was going on.

"Don't worry guys, It was just about a necklace," Erza said as she continued on to follow Natsu who was out of sight now. Gray and Lucy shrugged to each other and followed suit.

"Natsu wait up!" erza shouted as she spotted the head of pink hair through the crowd. Natsu looked back to her and continued on. He pushed some people out of the way and walked into a building that looked like it may have been the town hall.

Erza trailed him into the hall and saw him looking around. "Natsu, stop being like this and let's just work together," Erza proposed to the pinkete. Natsu just scowled some more as he knocked on a large door. There was a shuffling that almost felt like deja vu. Then a man that was middle-aged opened the door. He wore a black suit and had slicked back black hair with a mustache.

"Are you the mayor of this town?" Natsu quickly asked without even giving the man time to think.

"Oh yes, yes. But who are you?" The man said as some guards walked around from the other hall and up to Natsu.

"Is this man bothering you, sir?" The guard questioned with a scrutinizing gaze. "No, not yet," The mayor spoke as he looked back to the pinkete. Erza, Gray, and Lucy had arrived by now and stood a few feet from Natsu.

"I am Natsu, and," The slayer gave out a clearly irritated sigh. "This is my team, we are mages from Fairy tail," Natsu referenced to his shoulder mark that was indeed a black fairy tail mark.

"Oh good gracious, I thought nobody would come to fix our plight. I'm so grateful that you came. Now walk into my office," The mayor spoke with jubilant glee. He rushed Natsu and the others in and closed the door. It was curious to see a board that was full of what looked like a murder mystery. There were pictures, sea charts, and pages torn from books all assembled together.

"Don't mind my mess, I have been researching intently since the curse has befallen us. It all started a month ago. When I contacted the council of the threat, they quickly set it to a high-security risk and shut almost all shipping to the island down. There were only military ships that came to bring shipments. Speaking of which, how did you get here?" The mayor asked.

"We sailed here on a ship the military gave us. We told them we were here to solve this issue. If you don't mind, could you answer a few questions?" The dragon slayer asked.

"Oh not at all, ask away," The mayor spoke in an almost overexcited tone.

"First, what is your name if I may ask?" Natsu asked firstly. "I am Mayor Griffeld," The man stated matter of factly.

"So this monster is the only threat correct?" Natsu pried the mayor for more. "No, the beast is a problem, but as you may know. There is a magical presence surrounding this place. But we don't think that beast is the cause of it though," Griffeld concluded.

"I see, I figured that much," Natsu said crossing his arms in the process. "Okay Mayor, now tell me everything you have on this creature, I need eery detail," Natsu said in an almost sinister tone as the Mayor scrambled his brain. The went over to the board opposite the desk.

"See here, This is what part of the beast looks like. We had an artist wait until he witnessed the beast himself. But all he saw was the beast diving down," The mayor spoke as he presented the painting. You could only see part of the creatures back as it arched out of the water. It had greenish-blue scales and a bluish-black dorsal fin that went the length of the body or so it looked. It looked by the painting to be a very traditional sea serpent.

"Okay, and so this beast has been sinking ships in the straight between the island and the mainland?" Natsu asked the man. Griffeld nodded as picked off a report that was somewhat tattered on the edges.

"This is a report of some ships that have been sunken, most were just some traders. There were also a few military boats sunken. Now the beast is quite large. If I had to guess, It is around a wide around as a whale. But its body has not been seen in full length, so it may be even larger than we know. There have been some whales that were beached as well. They had entire portions of their body gone."

The mayor shook his head as he remembered the horrific sight. He had been called down by some guards that asked him what they should do with the creature. "Yes, this has been a big blow to our small economy, and trade has slowed down as well. We primarily export fruits," The mayor added.

"At least you had plenty of food on the island," Erza spoke up as the mayor agreed. "Yes, this is one upside to our small fiasco," Griffeld wistfully said.

"Are you fairly certain that there is only one serpent?" Natsu asked the mayor as the man seemed to be aghast at the thought. "Oh heavens, I certainly don't believe so," The man said as he quivered at the thought.

But the mayor continued on as he scanned over the board some more. "We have never witnessed the beasts face very clearly, so we don't have any sketches on it, but we do know that this beast is able to expel large amounts of water from its mouth," The mayor spoke.

Natsu then had an idea that made him uneasy. This felt like Cape town all over again. "Do you think there is a possibility this is not a serpent, but rather a dragon?" Natsu said as Erza and the others also questioned this same possibility.

"Your guess would be as good as mine, but I don't think dragons are still around. So I wouldn't think so," The mayor said. Natsu nodded his head. It was understandable to not want to think about it. Dragons are humanities great bane. And so many would not want to accept them returning.

"Never mind about that," Natsu said as Erza perked up at his words. Why would he drop it like that? Maybe it had to do with the council.

"Is that all?" Natsu finally inquired about the mayor. The mayor shuffled some papers around as he looked for.

"Well, as part of the request, we also want you to try and figure out what this magical force is. Because the presence has made people believe the island has been cursed. But we have nothing here that would say that any curse has taken effect," The mayor conveyed,

"So please, help us," Griffeld said as he bowed to the mages. Gray had stood up and was ready to leave. But that was before Natsu asked one more question.

"Now I'm not one to question money, but I find it hard to believe that a small town would be able to scrap together so much money in so little time. So I have to ask, how?" Natsu squinted his eyes and gave the mayor a fierce gaze that made the man sweat under the pressure.

"Well when government ships and soldiers got killed in this mess, they found themselves in this just like we are. So they are paying the reward," The mayor said with panicked haste.

Natsu eyes the man a little longer before he rose from his seat and strode out the door. But he stopped to turn and say. "Thanks for your time," The slayer left a dumbfounded mayor as he left. The others seemed to be at a loss for words. They had not even second-guessed the reward, but now that he mentioned it. A town of this size would have a lot of trouble collecting twenty million jewels in such a short time.

"Natsu, what was that about?" Erza asked the pinkete.

"I think that man is lying to us, and not about the thing we are fighting this time. Don't you think?" Natsu said as he looked to Erza.

"Well I suppose that the money situation is a little suspicious, but what else do we have on him. He seems to be a decent guy," Gray said as Natsu shrugged.

"No, it's not just that, I think there is a connection to the mayor and the magic and the serpent, I just have a hunch," Nastu spoke as the others seemed to be doubtful of his theory.

"I don't know Natsu, that seems quite far fetched," Erza said, she wanted to believe him. But this idea was quite the stretch.

Natsu seemed to become irritated by this and before he stormed off he spoke. "Fine, you guys do it your way, but I will prove I'm right," The pinkete left the three as he went to gods know where.

"Well looks like we'll be splitting up," Erza sighed to Gray and Lucy as the two nodded.

* * *

It seems the more time he spent with them, the more he just wanted to strangle each of them. He could never do anything without them commenting or doubting him, and so if he had to remove himself from the others to do the job, then so be it.

And so Nastu went to the first place he knew where to go. The local pub. He meandered until he found a bar that had a skull and bones sign out front. This town was shady looking as it was, and so he knew that if the money was from anywhere, it was blood money.

Natsu knew this game very well, and so he would figure this out. He entered through the door and looked into the mostly empty bar. "Hey, guy, no shirt no shoes, no service," The barkeep said in a cut-loose sneer. The man tried to shoo Nastu off with a wave of his hand. But the slayer them walked to the bar and with a glare stood in defiance.

"I don't like your attitude, but maybe you can help me out, or we can do this the hard way," Natsu said as he punched his open hand. The barkeep seemed unfazed by him as multiple large men with tattoos and scars stood from around the bar.

The barkeep gave Natsu a smirk as he spoke. "Look, I don't know who you think you are. But you're going to have to leave," The man gestured to the large men and one came up and swung at the dragon slayer. Natsu caught the fist with one hand surprising the burly man, and then with the other hand, he gathered a small ball of piercing bright white and blue fire.

The man's eyes grew wide as Nastu thrust his hand forward and the man was practically evaporated. There was only a second of agony as the man was turned to an ashen pile of bones. "Anyone else?" The pinkete questioned as the other men sat right back down. Natsu looked around a moment longer before he looked back to the barkeep who was quivering behind the bar.

"I'll, I'll help! Just don't incinerate me," The man cowered behind the counter. "Good," Natsu said as he then cleared his throat.

"I was wondering if you knew about any, suspicious activity," Natsu said with a hushed tone as he leaned over the bar.

The man thought a moment before he stuttered out. "Okay guy," The barkeep put a hand over his mouth and spoke.

"There is a place over at the south of town right under the cover of the mountain. There is an abandoned building where there is supposed to be a secret hideout underneath. That's all I know," The man spoke as Natsu nodded.

"I see, this is useful," Natsu didn't say another word as he left the bar with everyone still cowering with fear.

See, this is how you can get things done without the law, Nastu thought as he continued to the south of town. There was not that happened as he came to an abandoned structure that was indeed right next to the mountain.

There were wooden planks that made up the walls of the rugged building. The windows and doors were all boarded up and the glass was broken. It looked like the place had been sitting and rotting for at least twenty years.

Natsu went around back as to not draw attention and broke into the back door. He kicked the boards down and went into the house. There was a foul smell that loomed inside as he went down the wooden house. There was paint peeling from the walls and the ceiling was hanging from water damage.

He heard the shuffling of rodents above him and there was water dripping from a crack in the roof. There was definitely a high chance no one came around here.

Then he heard with his advanced hearing some shuffling underneath the floorboards. He noticed that there was a breeze of air that came from the floor as well. And so he felt around with his hands to activate a switch of some sort. And finally, a pressed a part of the floor down and the wood gave off a hissing sound as it dropped revealing a passage.

Natsu dropped into the hole and landed on a stone floor. This foundation was quite different from the architecture of the upper floor. This ought to be interesting.

"You know the wants us to move all this to the other location right?" Natsu heard this echo through the cobblestone walls. He slowed his approach and went to listen to the information.

"I know, but it's so much. Can't we do it tomorrow?" The man whined. "You know full well the boss would castrate us if he found out we were slacking off," The other man spoke.

"I know, but look at this, there so much cargo, we could supply two towns," The man said raising his hands into the air. "Yeah, but think of all the money we'll get once we sell all this stuff," ANother man laughed out as well as a few others.

"This is definitely what I was looking for," Natsu spoke in a whisper.

* * *

"Damn it," Erza spoke aloud as she walked away with a scowl on her face. Gray and Lucy followed in suit not really sure how to go from this point.

"I think she's just mad at Natsu," Gray spoke softly to Lucy who nodded in agreeance. "Maybe we should just let her cool down," Lucy said.

"Hey Erza, where are you going?" Gray questioned.

"Anywhere besides where that asshole is," Erza growled as Gray and Lucy had a shiver run down there backs. She was super pissed right now. "Well I think we should focus on this sea monster," Gray said as Erza stopped. They were close to the beach and there was a ship in the harbor looking to dock.

"We have to make sure this ship gets into dock safely," Erza said as she bolted int he direction of the frigate. The others were right behind her.

The three ran to the edge of the shore ad they could see a disturbance in the water. It was subtle but noticeable enough to warrant some caution. "Look, that must be the monster," Gray shouted as he used his ice to freeze over parts of the ocean.

"Come on, guys," Gray bellowed out as Erza and Lucy quickly ran onto the ice. The ship's sailors seemed to notice the disturbance and were running about franticly to secure the sails and make the ship secure.

"Hey, do you need help with that monster?" Erza yelled out to the sailors. They nodded as the man that looked like the captain appeared and shouted back. "Yes, it would be quite lovely to see that deep-sea devil vanquished," The old captain spoke.

The ship was now ahead of the ice and a rumbling started. The ice began cracking, but Gray furrowed his brows and put his hands to the ice and it began to look more like an iceberg with a flat plateau on top.

"Erza! I'll make sure we stay afloat, you and Lucy make sure to take that thing down!" Gray barked out as the redhead nodded.

"Okay, just don't wear yourself out too much," Erza looked to the bubbling water and in what seemed to be a geyser. The beast raised out of the water and it was indeed a serpent of great magnitude.

"Holy shit!" Gray said as he watches the serpent sway its scaled head back and forth as if it was taunted them. The beast had blue scales and a black fine that ran down it's back. It was different from the painting for sure. There were what looked like whiskers that came off its a face like a catfish.

In a flash Erza requiped. **Requip: Sea Empress Armor!** Then she appeared in a revealing green and blue scaled armor as Lucy looked in awe. "Wow Erza, That armor doesn't leave much to the imagination," Lucy said as Erza looked to see an indeed the blonde-haired girl was right.

"Well I never really thought about it," Erza said blushing while closing her eyes and crossing her arms. But then she transferred a scaled blue sword to her hand and launched herself at the beast.

"Okay Lucy, you can do this," Lucy murmured to herself.

"What are you doing?" Gray sweatdropped at the scene before him and could only wonder what she was talking about. "I'm trying to summon a spirit over here, give me a break!" Lucy tried to explain.

"Whatever," Gray sighed. He forgot how inexperienced Lucy was to all this stuff. Lucy then grabbed her key pouch and got a golden key with the markings of Aquarius. Lucy spun the key around ibn a circle and spoke. "Come forth, **Aquarius!**"

A golden light shined and then the spirit appeared from the water. "You drag me all the way here to an iceberg!" The meanspirited Aquarius spoke.

"I'm sorry, but I really need your help right now. Please!" Lucy pleaded as she shook her hands together and bowed to the spirit. Gray could only watch the scene in bemusement. And here he thought that Lucy was the one in control of the spirits.

"Well, since you asked so nicely," Aquarius said as the mermaid crossed her arms and brought her hands together. The water started to flow around the spirit and then with a surge of power the mermaid created a huge tsunami.

"Take this!" Aquarius roared out as the wave hit Erza directly and the redhead was thrown into the ocean by the sheer force of the tsunami. Lucy and Gray could only grow pale as the spirit disappeared in a golden light and all they heard was a growling sound.

Then a hand grasped onto the edge of the iceberg and they saw as two glowing red eyes appeared and Erza climbed onto the glacier. Lucy shivered as the scarlet knight walked closer to her and they all seemingly forgot about the sea serpent that still was swaying like the wind.

"What the hell was that! I was about to attack that beast and for some reason, I was hit by a huge wave! Care to explain!" Erza's expression was so intense that Lucy could not form words. But then with a sudden surge, the iceberg shook and Erzxa forgot completely about the incident.

Once more she launched into the air and she swiped her blade. There was a torrent of energy that released and hit the beast. The serpent lashed back but then whipped it's head around and roared out. Then it sprayed out a beam of high pressured water. Erza was caught in the attack and was blasted back into the ocean.

Deciding he was needed, Gray ran up and froze the bean of water and then beast then grew frantic as it now had a huge icicle attached to its head. The beast seemed to have trouble keeping its head up. That was until it slammed it's head into the water and broke the ice.

Gray groaned out as he tried to hold onto the iceberg that was now swaying up and down. "AHhaah!" Lucy screamed as gray made a pole made of ice for both of them to hold onto. Erza soared out of the water and onto the ice. She searched for the beast to appear once more but to no avail.

"It's under there somewhere!" She yelled as Gray and Lucy stood up and looked about. "I don't know Erza, maybe it's gone for now," Lucy spoke as Erza sneered.

The redhead fell to her knees and slammed her fists into the ice causing the ice to break off. "Calm down Erza, we did what we set out to. And that was to stop the monster from attacking the ship," Gray said reaching his hand out to the pissy woman.

Erza took his hand and frowned. "We'll get it next time. Don't worry," Gray smiled to the redhead and Erza gave a small smile.

"Thanks, I guess I let my anger towards Natsu get the better of me," Erza said.

The lucy spoke up with curiosity. "How are we getting back?" But before she could say anything further, Erza sliced her sword and the iceberg zoomed through the water with a large wake behind them. They crashed into the sandy shore a few hundred yards from the dock.

Lucy and Gray found there footing as they held their heads. "Sorry guys, I thought you were ready," Erza laughed. "Don't worry, we just didn't expect it," Gray said as Lucy nodded.

"We should see how those sailors are doing," Erza explained as she went along the shore. There were no signs of the beast returning and so they went to the wooden dock where the ship had set an anchor.

"The sailors gave a cheer to them as Erza walked up the gangplank. "Are you all alright?" The captain walked forward. He had a large mustache and grey hair with a thick blue sailor coat and hat. "Yes, and all thanks to you and your wizard friends."

Then with a questioning look, the scarlet knight asked. "Why were you sailing to the island, didn't you know of the serpent in the bay?" She asked.

"Well, to be honest, we never heard of such a beast. There usually are tons of reports of dangerous spots to sail. And I've been trading cargo to this island for years. I never heard of a serpent in these waters," The captain spoke as he scratched the back of his head.

Erza furrowed her brow and thought a moment. Then Gray spoke up. "You know Erza, as much as I would like for it to be wrong, I think there might be some evidence to Natsu's theory. Otherwise, they would notify all ships of the threat," Gray said.

"I know, it doesn't add up. I hate it too. But maybe we should have trusted his experience," Erza said as she turned to the captain.

"Thank you for this information, this helps us with our mission," Erza conveyed to the captain.

"Anything we can do to help the pretty lady," The captain smiled.

"Don't worry sir, we will clear the waters for you before you depart," Erza promised as the man nodded. "Thanks, and if there's anything we can do, I'm happy to help. In fact, there are a number of canons on the ship if you ever so needed.

"I see, that could be of great benefit. Would you mind keeping an eye out for us? We have some investigating to do. You could raise a white flag if you see any activity," Erza finished.

"Absolutely, I and my men will help you, and if it doesn't hurt, maybe we could get a slice of the reward for this?" The captain questioned.

Erza smiled broadly and nodded her head. "Why of course, you can have part of the cut, I would never think to ask a favor for nothing in return."

"Then this is settled, let's go," Gray said as he walked down the plank to the dock. Erza waved to the captain and they went into there town. "Are you okay with giving a cut to then Erza?" Lucy asked.

Erza grew a mischievous smirk on her face as she spoke. "Of course, they can just take part of Nastu's cut," Erza laughed to herself as the two sweatdropped at her childlike behavior. They never thought they would see the day that Erza would play dirty.

"You know Erza, I don't think he's going to like that idea very much," Gray said, but to no avail.

"He'll be fine, as long as he doesn't know," Erza spoke with her tone becoming calmer. "Oh, okay," Gray said not wanted to argue about it. She would have to just work that out with Natsu herself.

But before the three could go any further, they were surrounded by rune knights that held pointed spears.

"Halt, in the name of Fiore, we will rest you for your crimes against the town of Oahina!"

Erza could only stare with shock as Gray and Lucy put their backs to hers.

* * *

**To be Continued...**

**Thanks for reading this latest chapter. I will get onto the point of this side story in the next chapter, as it plays into my original arc I have been planning. I hope you enjoyed this one as always and will be coming out with another in a week or two.**

**By the way, I have ideas about the storyline that will be slightly altered from what the original. Also, I probably won't be doing the edolas arc in this story, for those that really like it, I'm sorry. But I don't feel it fits to my story.**

**Feel free to leave comments and criticism as always. And as for the all the original characters I created, I will give you descriptions again when we see them. **

**So get ready for there next one! Chapter 16!**


	16. Something

**I do not own Fairy tail, that belongs solely to Hiro Mashima.**

**Welcome to Chapter 16! I hope You did not have to wait too long for this next chapter in my story. Anyway as always I would like to get your feedback and criticism on what you thought of the story, that way I can get a good feel of how I'm doing.**

**IMPORTANT NOTICE!**

**I will in the precursor to the chapter explain more about my original content in my story right now. If you have a good memory you will know what I'm talking about, but if not you should listen.**

**Most of there original characters have already been revealed in past chapters. Just in case you had forgotten these characters entirely. The chapters that reference them are chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, and 11.**

**The parts that show these characters are at the end of said chapters except for chapter 3, which is at the beginning. I will now give a description of these characters that have been revealed so far. Chapter 6 has the character presented in the middle or so. **

**Azrael: He is the leader of the mysterious fourth ally to the Baram Alliance. He could be described as insane or very serious. But he is also very idealistic. He has semi-spiky hair that is white in color and has deep blue eyes. He has the appearance of someone that is young, but his body and mind are that of a person who has experienced much that life has to offer. (Like Zeref). He wheres a red sleeveless shirt that is tucked into black combat pants. He adorns a set of plate steel greaves that reach up to his hips. (He has a ****full set of armor, but he does not always wear it). The armor is a silvery-blue and has golden embellishments on it. His magic is unknown. He uses a large longbow with runic carvings. The bow is almost as tall as him, as well as a shortsword with strange markings.**

**Hegemone: She is an underling of Azrael that is very pleasing to the eye. She could be described as the most beautiful of the two females in the dark guild. She has dark green hair that runs all the way to the small of her back. She has black eyes with a tinge of red. She wears a black kimono with white tracery and simple leather sandals. If I had to guess she has a C-cup bust size. She had earrings that are in the shape of a serpent as well. Her personality is very smart, she has the most knowledge of history than anyone else. She is very easy going but also quite impressionable. Although she is loyal to a fault, she would be the first to question her devotion. She is a dragon slayer that uses a unique style. She could be called a Bloom Dragonslayer that holds effect over plants and can tame or create draconian type creatures to fight for her.**

**Aegaeon: He has messy pale blue hair that is only slightly past his ears. His skin is quite tanned and he has blue markings all over his body that look like symbols for water and waves. His face is clean-shaven. He wears a tribal looking battle dress that has leaves and exotic feathers attached to it like those Polynesian people. (Don't worry though, this skirt is attached to a pair of short, shorts. So he's not letting it all hand out). Anyway, he has seashell bracelets in his wrists and ankles and walks barefoot. He also has black eyes with a tinge of red. He is quite loyal and would never think of betrayal. He is brash and does things straight forward. You could say he is not the one who creates the big plan, he only follows it. His magic is dragon slayer magic. And that is all that is known so far.**

**Helios: He is an almost biblical person in the way he presents himself, he speaks of the righteous path and heavenly dominion. But He is quite most of the time and speaks little. He wears an all-white rode with golden embroidery. He has long dark red hair that goes to his shoulder blades. His hair is extremely straight. He carries a book that holds a cross that is upside down. And his rode adorns similar features. He has a look of a man in his forties but has a clean-shaven face. The eyes are the same black with a tinge of red. His magic is unknown, but he is also a dragon slayer. He is known for using telepathy, however.**

**Aeolus: This woman is probably one of the weaker members of the dark guild, but she is nonetheless quite powerful. She has long curly white hair that reaches past her shoulders. Her personality is quite sarcastic and she is not above seduction to get what she wants. She is however very conniving and won't hesitate to stab you in the back. She has black eyes with a tinge of red as well. She wears a short white kimono with black leggings. She has white heels and a large white fur coat. Her magic is unknown, but she has the ability to fly.**

**There are two more members that have yet to be introduced. But they will be once I finish with my personal story arc. There will be a lot more of the original content in the chapters to come. So I hope you're ready for that. So here are the descriptions for now and I hope you enjoy it. ****With that out of the way, let's get on with it.**

**Enjoy the Story!**

* * *

Chapter 16: Something

September 16, X784, Oahina town

Natus vaulted at the closest man and could see the look of shock as the man realized there was a foot coming straight for his head. Natsu ended up kicking the poor man right in the neck and he flew into the wall and met his untimely demise. The others were swiftly alerted of his presence and surrounded him in a circle.

"Looks like we got a tough guy!" One man said as he grabbed a magic staff. The man looked like the leader of this small operation. ANd thus Nastu decided he would have to make sure this man stayed conscious. And so with quick repetition, Natsu created a small ball of condensed fire in his hand as the others looked in curious awe.

"He's a wizard, damn it!" One of them shouted as Natsu kicked the main man in the chest and released his fire. **Fire Dragons Explosion!** All of nine men that were in close proximity to Natsu were all enraptured in the blast and fell to the floor tattered and burned, but still alive.

The blast reverberated through the cavern and Natsu wondered if this place was stable enough. But he quickly smelled another presence through the smoke and saw a silhouette of a lanky man. But this disheveled man turned out to be a boy that looked barely old enough to hold a day job.

The coughed from the thick smoke, but as it slowly dissipated the boy gasped as he stared wide-eyed at the man before him. "What are you doing in a place like this?" Natsu asked the boy with pleasant curiosity. The boy was hesitant and he shook with fear in his eyes. Natsu held his hand out and the boy warily took it and was pulled up.

"Are you alright?" Natsu asked once more before the boy nodded. But with the sound of grunting and shuffling, The pinkete knew he had to deal with the man he purposefully knocked out of the blast radius. He turned to the boy once more and spoke with a soft undertone.

"Wait for a second here, I need some information," He spoke as the boy nodded raptly as he ran to find cover. The pink-haired dragon slayer stood over the frightened man who looked like he could start crying now.

"Hold yourself together," Nastu said in a dark tone as the man cleared away his daring tears and sat on his knees and bowed to Natsu. "Please, don't kill me," The man spoke but then he was kicked softly in term of Natsu and rolled on the ground clutching his stomach.

"I don't want your sob story, I just need information," Nastu growled at the groveling man. The man seemed to have gotten the message and sat quietly waiting for questioning. And in his mind, he would not even for a second try any funny business.

"Who do you answer to?" Natsu spoke crossing his arms and listening. "I get orders from Captain Ruether," The man spoke clearly. Natsu pondered a moment and he realized what this meant, there was government corruption going on here. That was something he found rarely.

The slayer then asked again. "Is this cargo from trading ships?" He asked diligently. This mystery was still ways away from solving, but it was clear that the serpent was an excuse for looting those ships without having the government looking into it further.

"Yes, we use magic water breathing helmets, and there a tunnel that leads to under the ocean," The man spoke. This thought intrigued Natsu. He definitely thought this was a very elaborate plan here. There was a lot more to this than meets the eye, there must be a bigger party at work here. And he would be the one to solve it.

"Is there anything more you can tell me?" The slayer finally asked as the man scratched his head and looked concerned for his wellbeing. "I swear, All I do is make sure to gather the cargo and take it to the other location," The man then realized he let slip a crucial part of the information.

"I see, and where is this other location, Is there another tunnel?" Natsu turned around and scanned the area around for any other passages. But then the man spoke up. "That elevator shaft right there leads to the surface and it's how we get the cargo up from the cavern."

The man stopped and the pinkete turned. "Well go on," The pink-haired slayer spoke callously. The man shivered and then with a second hesitation continued. "Right behind this shack, there is a small patch of forest before the mountain as you may have seen," The man spoke as Natsu nodded having remembered this from his previous examination of the area.

"Well, there is a tunnel behind a boulder straight ahead and we use it to take the cargo to the other side of the island. The tunnel goes through the mountain."

"Where is the other location after that," Nastu tapped his foot as he patiently waited. Feeling the sense of urgency from the dragon slayer the man rasped out. "There's a small building made of cobbled stone hidden in the patch of thick jungle on the left of there tunnel exit, that's all I know," The man pleaded as he looked into ht cold eyes of the slayer.

"I believe you," Natsu said as the man seemed to gain a wash of relief. But he closed his eyes when he saw a fist that hit him in the face before he could actively block it and was knocked out cold. Natsu turned from the man and thought of all the information this chump had. If he knew this much then there was no telling how much the next guy in the chain knew.

"Hey kid, you can come out," Natsu spoke as the kid popped his head out from behind a large crate. The boy seemed to still have some residual fear of Natsu as the slayer could see his shake here and there. The pinkete took a good look at the boy and found he go a nostalgic feeling when he looked at him.

It reminded him of himself when he was young, but at this age, he was already a powerful S-class mage. The boy had big eyes and a mop of disheveled dark raven hair, he had grey eyes that almost looked dull. Then with the realization, he found some questions swirling in his head.

This kid wore a white sleeveless shirt and black pants. And he walked barefoot. His clothes were torn in some places and Natsu remembered when he had been on some missions where he came back looking like this boy. But then an odd realization came to Natsu's mind. The boy seemed to look at him directly and knew where he was.

Perhaps he had magic. Natsu sat on a crate and he asked. "Who are you?"

The boy sat on an adjacent crate and looked down. "My name is Sabbas, Sabbas Romanos," The boy spoke quickly. He seemed to have a very clear focus on Natsu.

"Interesting, that's a foreign name," Natsu said as he closed his eyes and put a hand to his chin. "Why are you here Sabbas?"

"Well, those men caught and used me to fit into small spaces when they needed to get into a cargo hold," Sabbas spoke with a hint of discerning in his voice. "Do you have a family?" Natsu asked seemingly knowing the answer. It was something he saw a few times in his travels. And he knew the type because he was one of them.

The boy teared up and balled his fists up. "No, I never had a family as long as I could remember. I only know that I have to thank an old man who took me in for a few years before he passed," Sabbas started to bawl as he wiped the tears from his face. Natsu could not remember the last time he dealt with a crying child, but he knew the feeling this kid was having. It was an all too familiar sting he found himself having.

But he was strong, Natsu could feel the magic inside him welling up as the boy slowed his crying. "I'm sorry to burden you like this," The boy sad as Nastu shook his head.

"It's no problem, I know how you feel. I've been there. But let me ask you," Natsu said.

"Whats's that?" Sabbas answered. He looked in awe at the man that was only nine years older than he or so he thought. Sabbas knew then that this man had been through what he had. But there was a difference with him. This man was so strong, just the way he presented himself. There was no weak point in his stance or his gaze. There was only a hardened warrior. He stared in awe at this man who defied his upbringing and made the most of it.

"Do you have anything in this town that ties you down?" Natsu probed, he had an idea that maybe the others would not like as much, but he was feeling particularly good about it. He just had a feeling about this kid that he felt he should follow. It was one of those gut feelings.

"No, are you insinuating something?" The boy asked surprising Natsu with the use of the word. "Well," Natsu thought a moment longer before he spoke. He had no room to invite someone when he himself was a fake, but he didn't really care.

"I would like to invite you to my guild, I think you have magical potential and I would like to take you there," Nastu spoke in a slightly less monotone voice than usual. He was sure this kid had great heights he could reach if he was shown the way.

Natsu almost felt himself laugh as he thought that this was how master Hades must have felt when he first met him. And now look at him, wanting to take on a pupil when he himself was still training under his master. But he cast the thought aside when he saw the boy stand up and reach out to his necklace.

The boy felt it in his hands as Natsu felt slightly awkward at the close proximity to the boy. The boy held back a smile before he stood back. "I felt something from your necklace," The boy spoke as he sat back down on the crate.

Natsu seemed to be surprised at this and then asked. "You can sense magical signature that small, that's impressive."

But then another question he felt was neccacery at the moment was of this boy's eyes. "I don't mean to be rude, but are you..." Natsu was cut off by Sabbas. "Blind, yes. I am blind. But I find that my sense of hearing and smell helps me greatly," Sabbas declared.

"You can sense magic as well, that's how you know where I am. Right?" Nasu inquired the boy. Sabbas nodded and then spoke again. "I would like you to take me from hie horrible town, it has brought me nothing but grief," Sabbas said with a sour tone that could not be mistaken. He must have had it pretty rough to want to leave so badly.

"Alright, well since you were a part of this operation, you can lead me to the other warehouse," Natsu stood and saw that Sabbas walked behind him up the way he came.

Huh, This kid. Natsu thought.

* * *

"Under Arrest!?" Erza shout out as she thought that maybe she had misheard the lead rune knight.

But when the knight nodded to her she realized there was something terribly wrong. What was it that they had done. She had no conception of a crime in her memory and she was sure of it. This was wrong, there was something at play that was beyond her knowledge and she did not like being in the dark.

"I'm telling you, this is not right. You have to the wrong people!" Erza yelled once more, but it was upon deaf ears. But then the captain spoke once more. "By order of Captain Ruether, you are under arrest. ANy further resisting will give you a higher penance!" The captain shouted as ERza sighed.

"Okay, Gray, Lucy," He said as she dropped her fists and Gray was surprised to see this. "Really, but we did nothing wrong?" Gray questioned, but Erza gave him a disheartened look that shut him up. "I think we would just comply, to see what this is all about," Erza hypothesized.

"I see," Gray nodded as Lucy glanced at Erza and then to Gray.

"Good to see that you Fairy tail wizards have sense," The man spoke as he put magic restraining cuff on each of the mages. They were put in a line and lead through town almost like a parade which made the experience all the worse. And from the ship that was saved the captain looked on with a curious look.

"Look there crew, there's something fishing going on in this here town," The old captain spoke as he grinned and turned to head for his quarters.

As the team was lead to a ship at the far side of the dock, they questioned why they were boarding a ship if this branch of the government knew full well of the beast. But as the ship started forward that saw no sign from the crew that they were nervous at all.

This sight caused Erza to scowl, this was enough. There was something going on with this town and the military here. But then her head was pushed down as she was lead below deck. She growled at the rune knight who seemed to cower a bit before he regained his former composure.

They were put in a cell inside the hull and sat in a circle. There were no guards watching them at the moment and so they spoke in hushed whispers.

"Gray, did you see how the men were not nervous at all. They know something about this monster that we don't," He concluded as the raven-haired mage nodded. "Yeah, I saw that too. But what charges do they have us on?" The ice mage contemplated. But then before he could say, it would seem both Lucy and Erza caught on as well.

And seemingly with perfect synchronization, they all shouted. "Natsu."

"Damnit! I knew he would get into trouble on his own," Gray said as he glared at the ground.

"I know, but maybe he has caught onto something and that's why they are after Fairy tail wizards. Maybe they don't want us to solve this whole thing," Erza said as Lucy perked up at this news. She thought a moment and then recalled something she remembered hearing a long time ago.

"Actually, now that you say that I remember reading about some obscure laws that have to do with wizard requests," Lucy spoke as the others listened in.

"What's that, the rules are fairly simple, I don't remember any that stand out too much," Gray spoke softly as he tried to delve into his brain for the information he sought.

"It went something like this. If a wizard was convicted of a crime during or right after completion. The reward would become forfeit if the employer so chose. Otherwise, the reward would not have to be paid and the employer keeps it," Lucy said as something in Erza's brain clicked.

"Lucy you're a genius!" Erza shouted as she shook Lucy like a doll. "Okay, okay! I get it," Lucy said as the redhead released her from her grasp.

"What did you figure out Erza?" Gray questioned the scarlet knight. She seemed to be quite sure of her self.

"I hate to say it, but Natsu was right," Erza said as Gray nodded knowing what she was hinting to. "The mayor must be an associate of this Captain Ruether, and whatever Natsu did made him a danger to his plan. The only thing that doesn't make sense is the sea monster."

"Yeah, that beast was very much real. But it only attacks certain ships apparently," Gray said stroking his chin and then he looked like he came up with another theory.

"Wait, the monster only has sunken cargo or military vessels. But maybe they sunk military ships on purpose. That way it seemed that the monster was attacking at random," Gray said as Lucy piped up.

"But where does the monster come into all this, there is no way they could have planned for that serpent to be here. Could they?" Lucy questioned not sure if magic like that was possible.

"I don't believe such magic exists," Erza contemplated as a guard came by and slammed his spear on the cell bars. This brought back some unsettling memories to Erza as she recalled her time in the tower. But that was behind her now, even though the events were fresh in her mind. She should not dwell on it.

"Quiet down in here!" The guard said as he went back around the corner. It was good he had not heard what they were talking about. But they would have to quiet up now that the guard was onto them. The ship seemed to come to a stop as Lucy was jerked forward from the abrupt stop.

The knights came down and opened the cell door and lead the team into a base that held a few small structures and a gathering of tents for the stationed soldiers. The main hall was not all that glamorous, but it got the point across that it was a law office.

They came to the front desk and the officer behind looked up from his paperwork and then to the mages in cuffs. "Oh, the captain said he wanted to see these convicts," The officer stood and came around the desk to a door immediately on the left. And he opened the door. "Right this way."

They lead them to the hall that had some other offices, but the main one was straight down the hall. And at the door, they heard the gruff voice of the man inside call out. "Come in now," The man known as Captain Ruether spoke.

The knights pushed the mages of team Erza inside and closed the door harshly as they felt like school kids in front of the principle. "I assume you know why you are here?" Ruether questioned with his gaze directed to Erza.

"Actually, I would like to know that bit of information myself," erza said in a glaring tone. The captain chuckled at this and took a puff of his cigar. The smoke he blew out thereafter went right into Erza's face. This caused the redhead to grow a tick mark on her forehead as she tried to stay cool.

"Well, then I'm sure you'll be surprised to hear that a Fairy tail mage has been snooping around this town, and said, suspect, has taken some lethal action against some unsavory types. So the crime was overlooked, but what really has me for a loop is why Fairy tail mages would steal cargo from ships that have been sunken. Have you no decency for the deceased," Ruether smirked as Erza widened her eyes.

"Furthermore we found your base of operations and a boat loaded with said cargo. How awful you must feel knowing that you commit such heinous crimes to our already suffering town," Ruether said in a sarcastic pouting voice.

Erza could practically feel the steam blowing out of her ears. They were being framed right before there very eyes. Captain further smirked at the gaping facing of the fairy tail mages.

"And you thought you could get away with it," Ruether said with a smug chuckle.

* * *

Natsu looked at the boulder that stood in the way of there path. "Well, this looks like the place, don't you think?" Natsu said as he turned to the boy. And then with a look of guilt, he then spoke. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to make a joke," Natsu said as Sabbas waved it off.

"It's okay, but let's keep going," Sabbas spoke as Natsu nodded. And then remembering once again that the boy could not see his affirmative nod. "Yes," Was all the slayer said thinking he sounded awkward. He went to the left side of the boulder and pushed slowly. The boulder was lighter than he thought and he moved it a few feet until the hole was big enough to fit through.

"Let's go," Natsu said as Sabbas followed his scent and footsteps. Natsu took off running through the dimly lit tunnel and he could hear that Sabbas was running behind him. It was odd though. He seemed quite agile and able for someone who was blind. But that made Natsu all the more excited to see what he was capable of.

This boy used senses and magic to navigate his way around and that was quite impressive. The tunnel was carved in an arch shape and had wooden beans that jutted up every five feet or so. The tunnel looked like it would go on forever. But then, in the end, there was a familiar sensation that crossed Natsu as he saw the light. They came upon the end of the tunnel that had moss and vines growing over the exit.

The jungle on his island was beautiful with bountiful amounts of fruits and a myriad of colors. And when he turned left to see the building was in fact there, it was a cobblestone structure with a wooden roof that had bones growing out of it. But there was something wrong. There were rune knights patrolling and on the beach, he saw the ship that borrowed from the base in Southbay.

The ship had all sorts of cargo loaded onto the small vessel. This was something that puzzled the dragon slayer. He hid behind some brush and thought of a plan. "I don't think they know of this tunnel, it looks to be quite occurred by trees and brush. But why are the knights here?" Natsu pondered as Sabbas sat next to him. The boy held his legs in a curled up fashion and looked to be fascinated with his knees. But Natsu knew better.

"Maybe they knew about the place from the start," Nastu s whispered and then with his theory. "Okay Sabbas, are you good at solving things?" The pinkete questioned the boy. The raven-haired boy looked up and spoke.

"Yes, I can help you. After all, I can't thank you enough for taking me with you," The boy gave Nastu a genuine heartwarming smile that could really tug at your heartstrings. Natsu actually gave in and gave the boy a smile, even though he could not see it.

"Alright then," Natsu paused a moment before he unveiled his finding so far.

"The reward money for starters, a town this size could never hope to raise money like this. So the only way would be the government provided them the funds. And in this case, they could invoke a certain law known to contractors as the criminal deceit law were an employer could revoke the payment if a mage commits a crime during the job."

Natsu took a breath and continued.

"Paying yourself wouldn't make sense, but if the town money was not from them, then it would only be a benefit if they somehow convinced the council that the money was put to use the way it was meant to. Then the monster is here to attack the ships for extra money. So they must have sunken a military ship to keep the flow inconsistent. And see here Someone alerted their associates about the findings and are framing us to show that we committed a crime,"

Natsu finished as he caught his breath.

"Well, who could have alerted them then?" Sabbas inquired.

Then Natsu brightened up as he thought of the bartender. He must be part of this whole scheme. "I think I have it," Nastu said with some residual excitement. It had been a while since he had to solve a big mystery like this. Although, this was not the most difficult to figure out. He has solved some far harder problems before. He actually shivered at the thought of the Cerelbius Manor job he had completed two years ago. It was one giant fucking mess of clues.

"Hide here for a moment, I don't want you to get mixed into this," Natsu said as leap up and bolted to the rune knights. The knights yelled out an alarm. And all the knights in the area marched around into formation. There must have been twenty or so of the knights and they stood adjacent to Natsu.

"You there Fairy Tail wizard, you are under arrest! The lead knight yelled as he held out some magic cuffs. But Natsu charged forward and smashed his fist into the face of the knight. The man fell to his knees and then his face made contact with the sand. The other rune knights took this as an act of resistance and charged with there spears and swords.

Natsu kicked the first in the chest and spun around to the next. Grabbing the rune knight by the throat he threw the man at another and the two grunted at the contact. The pinkete merely coated his fists in fire and he smashed every man down a peg.

Then in only a minute or two, there was no one left to challenge him. And as he looked to the ship to confirm that It was the one they had sailed to the island with, he heard the sound of running behind and thought there was another knight.

He cocked his fist back and when he turned to look it was just Sabbas. And he had a wave a relief wash over him. "Oh, it's just you. I thought I told you to stay up there," Nastu said with a stern voice as Sabbas shrugged his shoulders and looked down.

"Sorry, I just thought since you finished fighting that it was safe for me to come down," The boy said as he returned to his cheery smile.

"Do you sense anybody else around Sabbas?" Natsu spoke as the boy looked around the beachhead.

"No one except for the signatures of the people in Oahina and Southbay," The boy said confidently as Nastu gaped for a second. Could he really sense people that far away? This was incredible.

"How can you sense them from so far away?" Natsu questioned the boy as Sabbas turned to the fire mage and spoke. "Well I always had the ability I guess. I can sense any sort of magic for a long distance. Even the small amount that every creature. Their bodies are clear to be because of the flow-through their bodies," Sabbas explained.

Natsu crossed his arms and closed his eyes. The people in Southbay were over six miles away right now. That was an incredible range of sight this kid had. It seemed that even without vision, he could see better than anybody else. Quite ironic if you ask me.

But then a thought entered Natsu's mind, it was about the rest of his team that must be somewhere on the island. "Sabbas, can you sense any magic signatures larger than usual?" Natsu asked the boy as the blind child seemed to scan while turning his head in different directions. This was certainly fascinating to watch from Natsu's perspective.

The pinkete held out a bit longer until the raven-haired boy spoke up. "Yes, your right. There are two that are significantly larger and then one that is smaller," The boy smiled as he completed what he was asked.

Natsu then rustled his hair. "Thanks," The slayer then started walking back to the tunnel entrance. "Where did you say they were?" Natsu questioned the boy. Sabbas squinted his eyes a bit confused. But he nonetheless answered. I had never said where they were.

"They are in Southbay town," Sabbbas expressed as Natsu gave the boy a curious look.

"Are you sure, They should still be on the island. But then again, maybe they are at the base investigating the rune knights," Natsu then realized he never interrogated the knights at the beach and cursed himself for being so forgetful at a crucial point in this mission.

As they reached the dock on the other side of the island they saw a new ship was docked there. Natsu thought it odd a ship that was a trading vessel was able to get passed the sea monster. And thus he opted to gather some information from the captain of said vessel.

The boat was a large frigate that had large masts even though the ship itself was not so large. It was maybe a good eighty-foot long. The wood had large clusters of barnacles and was rotting in some areas. It must have been in service for quite some time to be this worn down.

As Natsu climbed aboard the gangplank some of the crew gave him odd looks and he had forgotten about his current lack of attire. He guessed that Sabbas could not question it since he had no idea of what he looked like or what he was wearing.

The wood creaked when he stood a step onto the deck proper. Then from the top platform, the man that looked to be the captain of this worn trading vessel defended the stairs and cried out.

"Aye, a fellow wizard. If you're looking for your friends, your out of luck," The captain said in a scruffy voice.

"What do you mean? And how did you not agitate the beast?" Natsu inquired about the old sea captain. The captain was definitely worthy of the title salty sea dog. He looked like he's had his fair share of adventure on the high seas.

"Well, your friends were carted off by the rune knights after they saved our ship from that sea monster," The old Captain spoke with a concerned tone. He had a peg leg which Natsu thought was quite an interesting sight. He could only imagine the stories.

"Did they beat this monster," Natsu spoke in a calm and undiscernible tone. He didn't think they would get this far.

"No, that redheaded lass asked me to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. But none thus far has surfaced," The old Captain described.

"They are quite the capable bunch of mages I must say."

"Yes, I know. I must ask. In your opinion, could you tell me how large that beast might be?" The slayer asked with curious intrigue.

"Yes, I've seen serpents like that one in my many years of travel. However, none have ever been so large. Most of the beasts I've seen were about ten feet in width and were around one hundred and fifty feet long," The captain said quite sure of himself.

"That's a large serpent still," Natsu said surprised by this fact. "Yes, however, a serpent that size is much easier to kill. We used canons and arrows to bring it down. But this creature is like nothing I've seen."

The old captain sighed as he spoke. "But the larger the serpent, the thicker the scales. I bet a single scale is as tall as a man. This beast must be at least thirty-foot wide. And if that correlates to the length. Then you might be looking at four-hundred and fifty feet of a damn serpent," The old man scowled as he imagined the beast in its full size.

Natsu grimaced at the thought, but he reverted back to his calm demeanor. "I think I can handle that, I got a secret weapon," Nastu smirked as he slammed his right fist into his left palm. He exhaled through his nose which produced some smoke. The captain seemed quite impressed by this and gave the pinkete a chuckle.

"I'm sure if you believe you can, then there's nothing that can stop you. There are some incredible things I've seen mages do. Some that defy the very laws of nature," The captain smiled broadly and gave Natsu a hearty slap on the back.

"By the way, I'm not one to judge. But why are you wearing that?" The old captain lifted a brow with curiosity. Natsu sighed as he explained the situation.

"It is a punishment from my guild master for bad contact on my last escapade," Natsu saw the look of bewilderment leave the captain's face as he smiled and then chuckled.

"I do suppose that humility can be quite a good punishment. Although as I can see, you might get more attention from the ladies," The captain said referencing Natsu's muscular figure. Sabbas who has been quite the whole time now spoke up.

"Wait, what are you wearing?" The boy asked raising his pitch at the end of the sentence. The kid reached his hand out and touched Natsu'sshoulder and ran his hand down the length of the pinkete's back and down to the red fabric of the speedo.

Then he continued until he reached past Nastu's knee when he stopped. The whole thing happened in a matter of seconds, but for Natsu, it was way longer. Then with the realization that the kid had run his hand along his body, made Natsu feel quite awkward.

"Hey, don't do that. That's weird," Nastu said in a surprised voice that very little people caught his use. Sabbas seemed to scrunch up his nose before he looked to the slayer. "Sorry, it's just the only way I can tell what you are wearing," Sabbas apologized.

The old captain was a bit puzzled at the scene, but then when he saw the boy's eyes he grew a somber look on his face. "Oh, I see, it is something that is hard to deal with I know. I can't see out my left eye," The captain said with a laugh and tapped his yellowing fingernail to his left eye. And indeed there was a clinking sound.

"Huh, I couldn't even tell," Natsu spoke as he looked to Sabbas. The boy smiled. "I see," Sabbas laughed out as the old captain chuckled as well.

"It's good you can make light of your situation, it takes strength to do that," The old captain spoke cheerfully.

"We'll be going now. But I'll be back to rid these waters of that beast," Natsu concluded to the old man. With a laugh, the captain waved him off.

"Yes, thanks very much," The man said as Natsu left the ship. And when Natsu had gotten to the end of the dock he heard the captain shouted. "And don't forget about my cut!" The old sea captain said. But Natsu was not quite sure what he was talking about.

It would seem though that the captain was still a salty dog at heart. And like many seafaring men, they desire wealth above all else.

"Did he say he had a cut?" Natsu question himself as he continued to walk. Then Sabbas tugged his arm and he looked to the boy. "I realize me touching you like that was weird, but I was just curious about what you meant when he asked what you were wearing as if it was something strange," Sabbas explained to the slayer.

"I realize that. It would be different if I had more clothes. But I don't have much covering me as it is," Natsu spoke nonchalantly.

"I understand. By the way, what did you do to get in trouble?" Sabbas questioned the pink-haired dragon slayer.

Natsu considered not telling the boy what he had done. But it may be worse to start a friendship off of lies. And so with a final decision, the pinkete told the boy. "Well, it was almost a week ago. I was fighting some dark mages and they were wounded fatally," Natsu winced a little. He expected the boy to grow fearful of him. But it was on quite the contrary.

"Oh, I once had to take a man's life too," Sabbas said as Natsu seemed to raise a brow at this.

"How did you get into that situation?" Natsu knew the hardships of the world. And sometimes you were put against a wall with only one possible exit in sight. It was a sad truth, and so Nastu could understand how hard it might have been for someone so young to have to deal with that type of consequence.

"It was a few months ago when I was still not captured by those men. I had found something in the ocean when I was just sitting by the shore. It bumped into my foot as it must have washed up. The cup was metal and felt like it was handcrafted into a cup with a stem. I had thought it was just a regular cup. But when I returned to town there were murmurs that I had stolen it," Sabbas declared.

"It may have been gold, but I suppose you don't know what that is exactly," Natsu spoke. The boy nodded with agreement, this was a fact.

"Though I do know that men lust over gold. A man had chased me until he caught me. He took the cup from me and decided to take me too. We went inside some building and I felt some rope starting to be wrapped around my hands. But then I passed out after that. I don't know what happened. But when I awoke the man's energy was gone and there was the scent of blood. And I can only assume I killed him somehow," Sabbas said solemnly.

Natsu thought it was quite endearing to hear someone else's story on how they killed someone. But by the sound of his description, he may have used magic that made him lash out. But it was alluring to hear a description of something that was completely based on smell, hearing, and touch. Instead of the usual sight.

The two were on the beach and net to the crashing of the waves. "I know it might be a hard thing, but listen to me and listen well," Natsu said as he knelt in front of Sabbas who faced him. The pinkete put his hands on the shoulders of the boy as he told.

"There are many that would disagree with me, but when it comes down to it. If you have to kill, take that risk. Because whoever attacks you won't hesitate to do so to you. But just keep that between us okay," Natsu said with a stoic but suddenly sincere voice.

"I understand, But I don't know magic," Sabbas said with a frown. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you learn. And until then I will protect you," Nastu spoke with genuine vigilance to the cause.

He could not describe what this feeling was, but he felt like he had to protect this boy. It was so much like him that he could not stand to see him in harm's way. Maybe it was selfish, but he just felt defensive of this boy he had just meet a few hours ago.

He wanted to show this boy the way he wished he could have been in his childhood. Before he went with Hades. But Natsu was shocked when this boy hugged him tightly and there were tears in the corner of his eyes. He hugged back when Sabbas spoke.

"Thank you so much, I haven't even asked you your name" Sabbas spoke joyfully.

"I'm Natsu, Natsu Dragneel," The slayer spoke as the boy opened his eyes and smiled brightly. If Natsu had seen him smile he would say it was almost a mischievous one. Sabbas released the dragon slayer and stood up to look at the town across the bay.

"Let's get back to the mission," Natsu said as he saw the boy nod. "We need to get across to the military encampment," Natsu thought a moment before an idea popped into mind. He thought that maybe Sabbas might not like it much. But he supposed it was impossible for the child to have a fear of heights.

"I have an idea, get onto my back and hold on tight," Natsu spoke as the boy made a weird face before complying. Natsu squatted down and Sabbas hopped onto his back. The pinkete stood and then focused his magic in his feet and hands.

"Wait, are you going to...AHhahahahaha!" Sabbas screamed as the two took off into the air. Natsu blasted off from the ground with torrents of flame coming out from his palms and feet. Natsu laughed at the boy's reaction to the takeoff. He was once again impressed the boy could sense he was building his energy his palms and feet.

It was an unreal level of sensory that he had never known was possible. I don't even think Hades has heard of magic like this, Natsu thought.

* * *

Inside the jail of the military base was three mages all in the same small cell. There were not many cells here seeing that this was a small branch. But it was still just as frustrating for our heroes.

"Well, it looks like we failed to realized that we could not escape from magic restaining cuffs," Gray said with a snarky tone. Erza merely huffed as she turned her head.

"Well you know I think we should have known better than to accept getting captured like this. But the way I see it, I thought we could rationalize with the man," Erza stuttered out. She could barely contain her fury that the government in this branch was so corrupt. This was one of the worst cases she had seen.

There were footsteps that came into the prison from the above floor. And low and behold, it was Officer Cain. The three remembered what he had said before they had left and they were eager to use that. He had said they made a friend. And so maybe this guy would listen to reason.

"I thought I heard you guys were in jail, what happened? Everything has been a mess since you guys showed up," Cain spoke with a laugh. Erza stood and spoke in her calmest possible voice as to not scare the man.

"I'm glad your here. I need to confide something in you. Can you be trusted," Erza spoke as she gave the man an intense stare. Cain seemed taken aback by this but nonetheless nodded.

"Yes, of course, I am a practitioner of the law. And I keep my word," Cain said as he seemed to be confused why she thought he would lie.

"Then you are the person we need right now, is anyone else coming by?" Erza asked. as Cain shook his head.

"No, there shouldn't be anyone else coming," Cain remarked knowing now that this was a matter of utmost urgency. He had heard tales of the great Titania and he knew that Fairy tail was a good standing guild. And so he listened carefully.

"Then listen, we need you to alert the higher-ups of the corruption in this branch. The captain Ruether is in league with some dark mages we believe. There is a connection to him and all the deaths of the crew members and the ships being sunken," Cain gasped in light of this news. To think that the captain could do such a thing.

"You have to believe us," Erza said in desperation as her eyes told him all he needed to know. Gray then piped into the conversation.

"Yeah, not to mention that the mayor is a part of this, he has something to do wit this as well. The two are most likely profiteering of this whole deal. The only thing that makes no sense is where the sea master comes into play," gray explained to Cain who soaked the information as well as he could.

"This news is most distressing, I must leave now to get to the highest authority I can. How low our once proud branch has fallen. It all changed when captain Ruehther took his position. Beforehand the one in charge on this base was Captain Conlaoch. He was a respectable man. I knew there was something off about Ruether, but I had to follow orders," Cain sighed.

"I understand, now go. Don't worry about us though. We still have Nastu out there somewhere," Erza spoke as Cain nodded.

"Alright, hopefully, I can convince someone to help," Cain said as he ran up the stairs and out the door to the prison house. Erza looked on with hope he could find someone that could castrate this corrupt captain. But in the meantime, she had to wait until Nastu could come and get them out of this cell.

Erza turned around to slide down the bars until her butt was on the floor and sighed. Gray gave her a worrying glance. She was usually upbeat in these situations or at least more fired up. Something had her down right now and Gray wanted to get to the bottom of her not so great mood.

"Erza, what's wrong, you've been down ever since we landed on the island?" Gray questioned the redhead.

"Yeah, I know there was something you and Natsu talked about, but you shouldn't let that take over your mind so completely," Lucy stated trying to console the scarlet knight.

"I know guys, It's was something personal that I am not at liberty to tell you guys. But I appreciate the thought. It just has to do with something that happened before a while ago and he was irritated I brought it up which made me angry with him," Erza said letting on more than she had originally intended. She just didn't want them to get the wrong idea about Natsu.

He was a sweet guy even if he didn't show it. She could tell, and people make mistakes as well.

"Alright, but do you think Natsu will find us here," Gray asked the redhead. Lucy seemed to be in her own thoughts as Erza thought a moment.

"You should have more faith in your guildmates, and if he has the wits and experience I think he does. Then I believe we will be seeing him soon," Erza spoke as she truly believed Natsu was a great mage. There have been many things in which Natsu has shown incredible capability and knowhow on missions.

She would even go to say that he was a far more capable mage than herself. The scarlet knight was not conceded enough to think she was better than her. Erza knew her limits very well, and she believed Natsu had only reached the tip of the iceberg with his potential.

"Yout right Erza as always. I know I still hold a grudge for what he did to you, and I think I've constantly let that cloud my image of him. He is a man of his word, and I can respect it," Gray spoke fondly.

"I know what you mean, I was still quite new when he arrived. I was so terrified when I saw Erza, a figure who I thought was the strongest mage I ever saw, being thrown around like that. Quite honestly I was absolutely terrified of his power. And even though I was the first to greet him. I didn't even realize what I was doing. But I remember shaking like a cat in water," Lucy thought back as she affirmed her previous afflictions toward the slayer.

Erza nodded knowing what Lucy meant, she herself had been quite frightened herself, she had never face a foe that dominated her so abruptly. "Yes, I know what you mean, but the past is behind us and we need to focus on what we know. That is that Natsu is going to break us out and Cain is going to find a higher up in the council who will believe our story," Erza spoke some softly.

The others heard a loud bang outside and they knew almost immediately who it was that crashed down. "Well you know what Erza, I don't think we'll have to wait long," Lucy cheered out whilst pumping her fist in the air. Erza and Gray laughed at her attitude as they sat for a pink-haired slayer to come.

There was a loud banding sound above them when they heard the door the underground prison level slam open and sure enough. It was a well-known pinkete. He walked up to the bars as the three stood up. There was something off about him though. For starters, there was a kid with him. And second, he did not seem happy to see them.

"What's wrong Natsu?" Erza questioned.

"Well, I thought you guys would have been smart enough to not get captured. So you could imagine my surprise when that captain told me the rune knights put you guys behind bars," Natsu spoke as he crossed his arms and furrowed his brow.

Gray seemed a little offended that the slayer insinuated the rune knights could overpower them. "We went willingly because we wanted to know we even did. But apparently this captain is not negotiable," The raven-haired man spoke.

"Haha," Natsu laughed as he covered his mouth with his hand. "Sorry, I just imagined you were full of shit," Natsu then returned to a bitter tone.

Gray slammed his fists into the bars of the cell. "When you let me out of this I'm going to kick your ass!" The ice mage roared out.

"Calm down Gray, plus in retrospect going with the knights might have been a bad call on my part," Erza said as Gray and Lucy agreed.

"You think, you know for all your good qualities. You baffle me sometimes with the ideas you come up with," Natsu spoke truthfully as now it was Erza's turn to get flustered. Damn it, and she thought she wouldn't have to get mad at him anymore this trip.

"Then why don't you just leave this team if you're so dissatisfied!" Erza yelled at the slayer.

"Come on Erza, you don't mean that," Lucy said to the puffed-up redhead.

"No. I think you should leave the team. I'm done with your bullshit!" Erza screamed at the slayer who made a bored face with a glazed over look in his eye. It was just, as usual, someone else didn't want him around. He never fit in well with teams. He always worked alone.

But before any more could be said, the boy who had been standing idly by spoke up. "I thought you were friends?" Sabbas asked the dragon slayer. Erza having forgotten the child and found herself feeling guilty. She saw the child and he looked quite disheveled. His outfit reminded her of what the prisoners at the tower were forced to wear.

Erza felt bad that she acted this way in front of fresh eyes. But as she thought this she admired the boy's beautiful eyes that were so, dull? With the realization, she wondered how it came to be that Natsu was in his company.

"I sorry, we are friends. It's just that Natsu is sometimes very callous in how he talks," Erza said as she crouched down to his level. But in hindsight, she thought this act was pointless since he would know either way.

Natsu crossed his arms and looked away. Erza stood up and then looked to the slayer. "I sorry Natsu, could you at least get us out of this cell first?" The scarlet knight spoke as she waited.

The pinkete avoided her gaze as he produced a flame in his hands. He reached out to touch the iron bars that held the others. When he touched the bars, nothing happened at first. But then the bars began to glow red. And then eventually they shifted into a bright yellow hue.

Everyone stood back as the bars started melting before their eyes. They supposed it was useful to have someone that could melt metal like that. The three climbed out from the cell through the hole left by Natsu. Gray walked over to Natsu as the pinkete broke his cuffs off. And then he broke off Lucy's.

He walked over to Erza while never looking at her face and broke the cuffs. Natsu turned to leave, but Erza grabbed his arm to prevent it.

"Natsu, I'm sorry. I was not being rational," Erza said in an almost pleading voice.

"What's been said can't be taken back. I know how you feel about me now," Natsu turned around and glared at the redhead.

"You think your team or better your guild would be better off without me. You think I'm some horrible person, but you don't know me. You have no idea what made me the person I am today and I won't change just to fit your image of fairy tail. Just because you don't like the way I do things doesn't mean I'm wrong," Natsu said as he turned to leave while Sabbas just followed him.

Erza seemed stunned by his words as she stood wide-eyed. And she realized this was the first time anyone stood up to her, except for Mira in the old days. Everyone just seemed to do as she said and that was that. But in comes Natsu to jumble her all up and then leave just like that.

"Let's just get this mission finished," Erza said with a melancholic tone.

"Alright," Gray says not really sure how to put this situation together. This was an intense argument that just went down and even he could feel the level of tension between the two. But to be fair, he still had a say in this matter. This was his team as well. And as much as he would deny. Natsu is a great ally to have.

"Erza, I know this is not the best time. But we need to make this up to him," Gray spoke softly as he turned to look at the redhead who was hitting her bottom lip. She looked to be in thought at the moment, however. And he was not sure if she had heard him.

But she nonetheless remarked. "I know Gray, I said some hurtful things. But you know how he is," Erza sighed.

"I was foolish to believe I could change someone like him so fast. And I understand that we still have a long road before he trusts us completely. But I know now that me trying to make him change was only pushing him away farther," Erza said as Gray nodded.

"He's right though, we don't know his life," Lucy chimed in as Erza sighed once more.

"I just hope I can fix this," Erza said with her head down.

* * *

Natsu walked with a sense of purpose in his stride. He was beyond pissed right now and he had to vent somehow. And so he was headed for the base. He was not quite sure what he wanted to do there. But it was not going to be pretty. But before he could walk any further, he heard the sound of people running towards him.

He sighed out as he turned to look. "Natsu, you and Erza may be at odds right now. But we need to set it aside for after the mission. Okay," Gray said as he outreached his hand for the slayer to take. Natsu looked at the hand that was calling him and decided.

The pinkete shook Gray's hand and spoke. "Alright, then let me tell you what I found out," Natsu said as he walked down an alley. The others followed with Erza being behind the others. It was like she was shielding herself from him on purpose.

"Where to start," Natsu spoke as he scratched his head. "The mayor in part of a dark guild. And he is in a position of power so that they could profit off the town. Now the reward money could be forfeit since we were framed by the rune knights in command of the area. Specifically Captain Ruether," Natsupaused to take a breath.

"See, Ruther uses his rune knights to bully around the time. And the Mayor does all the grunt work with his men. Now I believe the two have been doing minor embezzlement and robbery over the years. But in light of recent creatures. They are pulling off probably there best shot to get a whole ton of cash. There's a system here. I figured this out while piecing it together in my head. And from my knowledge of dark guild I figured that this is not a dark guild," Natsu spoke.

This information was far more in-depth than what they had found out. They only priced together that the mayor was a part of the scheme. And that they were robbing the ships that were sunken.

"We only found out the mayor had been a part of the thing with Ruether. But it makes sense they wouldn't turn evil just like that," Gray spoke as the others nodded.

"How did you come across this information?" Erza asked as she stepped forward. They will put their personal matters aside, for now, was all she thought as she gazed at him.

Natsu hesitated to speak but remembered that they would wait until after the job was done.

"It's more of a hunch than anything. It's just I know how these dark guilds do things. I've hunted down many dark guilds before," Natsu spoke in half-truths.

"Then what did you mean by they were not a dark guild?" Erza questioned.

"Well they are, but they are just a beach I believe. A branch that funds a larger operation," Natsu spoke as the others felt a tingle go down their spines. And if Natsu was insinuating what she thought, then this was a far larger problem.

"Natsu, if this is true, then you must know we are in far deeper than I thought," Erza said.

"It makes sense though, if they have been doing small stuff all the time, then it would make sense to want to make sure your big paying job went smooth," Gray spoke as he himself was starting to get it.

"Yes, this job might just be their largest scheme yet. Anyway, there is usually a lead man that is in charge of this whole operation. And I don't know why, but I don't think that person is Ruether or the Mayor," Natsu said as Erza perked up at this.

"This is bad if this is only a small funding operation, then we need to take this out and then inform the council," Erza spoke as Gray nodded.

"Yeah, a dark guild large enough to have small branches like this means it must be one of the big ones," Gray spoke pointing his index finger into the air.

"What do you mean Gray?" Lucy asked.

Before Gray could say, Erza answered for him. "The Baram alliance. They are the top three guilds in the underworld. They have such an influence that they paired up as to not destroy each other with their powers," Erza explained as Lucy nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, and the big ones have hundreds of guild beneath them. These small guilds are what run the operation and all the grunt work. They get funds, raid towns, and," Nastu paused a moment before saying the final one. "Capture slaves," Natsu spoke as Erza flinched at the very notion.

"Natsu," Erza said as he looked to her. "Remember Officer Cain?" He questioned as Natsu thought as he tried to recall. There had been a lot between then and now.

"Oh, the man we met before we went to Oahina," Natsu spoke out as Sabbas tugged on his arm.

"What do you need?" Natsu spoke softly and in an almost concerning voice.

The others had completely forgotten the boy was here. And as a matter of fact, they did not know what the situation with him was.

"If we disband this operation, won't we alert the main guild?" Sabbas questioned.

Natsu thought that this kind of question was unusual for a child. He was smart as a whip.

"Not likely, if it's one of the big guilds. They won't really be affected by just one outpost being destroyed. But if we climb the ladder high enough. I think we may grab their attention, "Natsu explained.

"Oh, I see. Well ok," Sabbas smiled.

The others put on puzzled faces at the interaction. Natsu acted extremely friendly with this kid. He doesn't even act that nice to us, they all thought.

"Natsu, I can't continue without knowing who this boy is," Erza said as she remembered the boy's eyes.

Natsu patted the boy on the back and hugged him forward. "Well go on," Natsu spoke.

"I'm Sabbas, nice to meet you," He smiled as Erza crouched down and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm Erza Scarlet, and the two people standing behind me are Gray and Lucy. Umm," Erza was confused about how to explain in his terms.

But before she could Sabbas walked over to Gray and put a hand on his abdomen. And then he did the same to Lucy. Both were quite stunned by this at first. At least that was until the boy looked up at them with a smile and spoke.

"Hello, nice to meet you," Sabbas spoke sweetly as the two were shocked. Lucy covered her mouth when she saw the eyes. And she was no longer concerned about him having touched her.

"Your..."Gray stared but then paused. "Yes, blind. But I can still see in a different way," Sabbas spoke as the Erza, Gray, and Lucy seemed confused by this.

Natsu then opted to explain. "If you wondering why he's with me then listen up," Nastusaid as he leaned against the brick wall in the alley. They all turned to look at him.

"Yeah, I would like to know that," Erza said.

"Well found him while doing my investigation. He was being used by some dark mages to fit into smaller places and such. But the reason he's still with me is that I want him to join the guild. I feel he has tremendous potential," Natsu said as the others then asked.

"But hope can he hope to ever fight if he's blind?" Gray asked in a tone that was a little too abrasive for his liking.

"That's just it, he's already using magic. It's how he's able to go around. He uses his magic to sense the magic that flows in all creatures as he says," Natsu said as the others were quite impressed.

"Yes, I may not see as you do, but I can still see and walk around. That's why I walk barefoot, I don't know why. But then why feet touch the ground directly, I know where to not walk. I can see an image of my surroundings. But only vague outlines if that makes any sense," Sabbas spoke.

"So you can see that wall that Natsu is leaning on?" Erza questioned.

"Yes, but an outline. And as for Natsu, I can see flowing waves that I can only assume is inside him. I can see how much magic he has as well," Sabbas concluded.

"That's amazing," Lucy said as she smiled. She felt better now know this.

"He is able to sense magic signatures from long distance as well. That's how I found you guys. We were on the south side of the island and he could still pick you guys out," Natsu said as the others looked at the boy in awe.

"That's some incredible magic. That's over six miles away," Gray spoke with astonishment.

"So wait, you said all living creatures right?" Erza asked.

Sabbas nodded at this. "Yes, that's right. Everything magic in them. It's just how we survive. Even non-mages have magic in their body. But the difference is that they need it to live. Wizards create excess and train to use that," The boy spoke.

"This is very interesting," Erza said as she closed her eyes to think.

"Does it ever seem overwhelming with all those signatures of magic?" Erza inquired

"No, it's only if I want to see the signatures. I can cut off the connection altogether. But I really don't know much about my magic, aside from hoe I use it to live. To just walk around and to see people," Sabbas confirmed to the redhead.

"Can you tell the difference between people?" Gray asked.

"Of course, I have a good sense of smell and hearing as well. But I can tell the difference through your magic as well," Sabbas remarked as Gray nodded.

"That makes sense," Gray said.

"Okay guys, now that you all know each other. We need to focus on the matter at hand," Natsu spoke as they all nodded.

"It's nice to meet you guys," Sabbas ended as he stood behind Natsu.

"What were we even talking about?" Erza spoke as she questioned herself.

"You asked if I knew officer Cain," Natsu said as he stopped leaning and stood straight.

"Right," erza said as she coughed into her hand and regained her composure.

"Before you came, we spoke with him about some of our findings. And he went to get some higher authority," Erza said as Natsu seemed to question her move.

"Are you sure you can trust this man? We just met him earlier today," Natsu asked.

"I believe he is a man of his word. And we'll just have to wait and see," Erza said as Natsu sneered.

"Well the way I see it is we have two options," Natsu paused.

"Which are?" Gray asked.

"One, we attack the base before the government arrives, or two. We wait for them to arrive," Natsu spoke as the others weighed the options in their heads. This was an important move to make. One that could affect the outcome of this whole mess.

"I think we should wait. If the council sends someone to apprehend Ruether and the Mayor, then it would look bad if we were already in the process of fighting them," Erza spoke logically

"Yeah, your probably right," Gray said as Lucy nodded along with him.

"Then we'll wait, hopefully, he can bring someone," Natsu spoke.

He waited a bit longer and then said. "I think it may take a while, so we should camp out outside the city until then. The day is getting late. And this Cain man has a ways to go," Natsu said as he walked with Sabbas behind him.

The others followed them, and they made their way a few hundred yards from the town where there was a large field. They all set up camp and Natsu started a fire. They were in the open and near the main road. So they would be able to see any small army coming easily.

"Hey Sabbas, come sit with me," Natsu said as the boy went and sat next to the pinkete.

"Did you need something?" The boy questioned Natsu.

"No, nothing like that. I just thought you might get cold," Natsu said as the two sat next to the fire. The others sat on the other side talking amongst themselves.

"Ok," Sabbas said as he adorned a smile on his face. He could feel the heat creeping. The way it felt, sometimes the warm sensation would be too much as the fire swayed and cause it to grow hotter. But it was a simple pleasure to sit and feel the warmth.

The two sat in silence as there was nothing to say. Nothing that could replace the soft flow of the wind across your face.

They had a long day ahead of them.

* * *

**To be Continued...**

**This was another long one so I hope you like that. Feel free to leave comments and criticism you may have. **

**We are currently starting the original arc. This is all part of the idea I have brewed up in my mind. Anyway, you all have a great day and I will be out with the next chapter in a week or so.**

**So get ready! For chapter 17!**


	17. Lyin' eyes

**I do not own Fairy tail, that belongs solely to Hiro Mashima.**

**I would like to give a shout out to all the people that have stuck with my story and my bad habit of not writings chapters regularly. I would like to say thanks to those who have also taken even more interest by commenting and even messaging me. Shout out to...**

**Meazm/ ****erasempai946/ ****BomBashious/ ****Jermen/ anoyak111**

**Among others that have given me advice and just good feedback in general. Thank you all very much!**

**As always feel free to send comments and criticism if you have it. I always enjoy knowing what you think and that makes me a better writer as well. But enough of this.**

**Enjoy the story!**

* * *

Chapter 17: Lyin' Eyes

September 17, X784, Southbay Town

It was early morning and the fire from last night was all but ashes now. The dawn light was coming over the horizon and a certain pinkete awoke with a searing feeling in his chest. However, it was not one of pain. Just as it had happened every morning when the sun came out.

It was the sun that gave him a significant boost in his magic, and that was a secret not many knew, not even Ultear. He sat up and saw that everyone was still asleep. He looked at his teammates with a scornful grimace before he stood and made his way over to them. He then kicked Erza in the leg as the redhead bolted up.

"Get up," Natsu said as he turned to walk away. Erza seemed to bore holes in his back with her fiery glare. But she nonetheless got up and woke Gray and Lucy.

Morning already?" Lucy said with a yawn as she outstretched her arms.

But before anything else was said Natsu spoke out. "I'm going to take out that sea monster and then I'm leaving," The slayer spoke in a sour voice. He woke Sabbas and the boy shifted up.

"I'm going to leave you with here with the others, for now, I'll be back soon," Natsu spoke softly as the boy nodded in understanding. This was the last thing Natsu said as he jogged away. Past the city gate and to the shoreline of the bay.

Everyone seemed to be confused by his sudden leaving. But Erza just sighed as she spoke. "Forget about him, he's still just angry. We have to wait for the council to show up," Erza said as Gray nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose we should leave Natsu to it, If anyone can beat that monster it's him," Gray affirmed to the others.

Lucy shuffled around in a rucksack she had brought with her. "Hey Sabbas, would you like something to eat?" The blonde spoke sweetly as the boy scrambled over to her side. "Yes, thank you," The boy spoke as he was handed something that was made of bread and felt flat.

It must be a sandwich he thought as he took a bite. "Mmhmm," The boy seemingly moaned as he continued eating. "This is good," Sabbas said with a smile.

The others grinned at the scene laid out before them. "No problem, that's what friends are for," Lucy spoke as they continued to wait for the arrival of Cain.

* * *

Natsu overlooked the shoreline as he smelled the fresh morning air. There was an eerie silence that enveloped over the sound of crashing waves. It was too calm for his liking and so he jumped in. He started to swim under the water as he saw some fish and large boulders underneath. There was some coral and brightly colored fish around the area. It reminded him that this was a tropical bay and island.

He was glad that he trained to hold his breath for a long while, if not he would not be able to enjoy this beautiful scenery. There were sea turtles and lobsters that swan and crawled around. But before long the reef stopped at the edge of a dropoff that was dark at the bottom. Or rather you could not see the bottom.

The pinkete was weary of this evaluation. He was never too fond of swimming into the open ocean before, and especially not now when there was a four hundred fifty-foot sea monster. But he then there was familiar burn in his chest that was different than this morning. This was stung and it would only grow.

He swam up to the surface that was only about fifteen feet above him. He came up for air and there was an ominous feeling he got. He was right of the edge of a dropoff and there's a huge monster. Natsu was not one to be scared easily, but even he got an almost sick feeling to his stomach just thinking about it. The was a long way don't and for some reason, it seemed to go on forever.

The slayer looked around as he treaded water. Luckily for him, he had a technique that was sure to kill this beast. And so he took one more big deep breath and he dove into the dark depths. Past the dropoff and into the unknown abyss.

There was a sense of urgency that crossed over his mind. He had five minutes before he needed air. And seven at the most. He knew the beast was in this ocean somewhere and he would be the one to vanquish it. The water was dark and hard to see. The light from above was all he gad as a reference. He could no longer see the reef and there was only pitch below him.

Shit! Natsu thought as he looked straight down in the water. This sense of fear he felt all too real. He would push on through. He decided to swim down further where e was brushed by a shark. The shark seemed to pay him no mind as it cruised on past. Then he saw around ten or more sharks follow the first and then when he squinted he could see a school of fish that must be what there were following.

There was no salvation for Natsu at this moment as he swans fast and hard in a straight line. There was a glowing in the distance that was a glinting blue color. He felt tense up as the shimmer faded and he looked frantically around.

Then he saw something move below him and then there was a shadow cast above him and their light seemingly was blocked out. It looked to be an eclipse from where he was and then he got a feeling that sent a shiver down his spine. He looked down and saw something that gave him a sense of deja vu.

It then struck him at this moment that was exactly like his dream he had when he was knocked out after his encounter with the dragon in Cape town. He dreaded what he saw. There was a pair of huge jaws coming for him and he had only a few moments more before he would undoubtedly be swallowed by the beast of the deep.

Natsu in that split second put in hands together and created a ball of lightning that surged under the water. The blue light it produced made the beast clear in full view as its jaws were only ten feet from the slayer. Natsu lost his breath as he shot forward a massive bolt of electricity that hit the beast in the eye. The beast jerked it's head tot eh right as Natsu scrambled up to get air.

He made sure to stay aware of the beast's location as he did. And when he was greeted with the scent of the air, it was short-lived. The beast crashed out of the water and roared out. The cry was heard for miles as its head rose from the water. Natsu felt so vulnerable as there was nothing under his feet.

The beast created a swell in the ocean that pulled Natsu toward it. He then thought of an idea as he was pulled closer. He got his hands above the water and fired off his flames with as much juice as he could. He flipped around in the air because he was not stable and smacked right into the beast.

He was about the slide off and back into the water when he latched with all the grip strength he could muster. He held onto a large scale that was indeed as large as him. The beast turned it's long body around and looked at Natsu with one eye bleeding out and closed.

Natsu in a second before the beast sprayed a torrent of water threw himself over to the back of the beast. He latched onto the large black dorsal fin that ran down the length of the whole beast. Natsu started to climb up the beat when it roared out and dove into the water. With the rest of the body following suit. The pinkete watched the body arched like a roller coaster and he was about the slam into the water. He held on tight and braced himself. Heis body smacked the water, but he held firm.

The slayer then opened his eyes and saw that they were traveling quite fast under the waves. He then carefully went up the back of the serpent by hold firm to the blackfin as he trudged on. The serpent then spun in the water as Natsu almost went flying off. But he clenched his teeth and held onto the spinal part of the fin.

Natsu looked at the light in relief as the beast was now surfacing. The serpent shook it's head furiously as Natsu climbed the fin all the wat to the back of the head where the fin stopped. There was something that struck Natsu as he looked at the large mark on the beasts head that was a black magic circle about as big around as Natsu's arm span.

This was a magic symbol unknown to him. But it was something that made Natsu realized this was not a normal serpent. It was a magic beast that was not normally found in Nature because it was not natural. It was no wonder serpents were never seen this big. Because this creature was created with magic.

This realization cause Natsu to look in awe. A mage with enough power to create to summoned something like this was a fearsome foe. And if that was what they were dealing with then there was only one explanation. But Natsu realized he had just been sitting here on the beast's head.

The beast was once again about to go under the water and Natsu held on with his right hand. With his other he thrust his middle and index fingers forward and shot a bolt of lightning at the magic circle. The beast roared out and then decided to stay above the water.

The beast spun about and Natsu flew off the serpent. He was tossed near the shoreline a mile or two east of the town. The water out of the bay dropped off far closer to shore. The beast then shot a torrent of water at Natsu and it slammed him under the water. He tried to catch his breath when he surfaced again, but he was once again shot with a water jet.

Then a thought occurred to Natsu as he felt a tingling in the scar on his chest. As the water jet was still connected, he produced blue electricity all around his body and let it surge. The energy released ran up the water stream and fired the serpent as it's head slammed onto the beachhead with a heavy thud. It was still alive, but it seemed to be out of it.

And so Natsu ran around the side to the head of the beast and leaped onto its neck. He stood over the mark on its forehead and gathered flames in his fist. He cocked it back and then with a mighty swing plummeted his fist into the serpent's skull. **Fire Dragons Destruction Hammer!** As he did this, an indention was created in the skull and the beast laid still.

Seemingly defeated, Natsu vaulted onto the shore and admired the beast. It was absolutely humongous. It was at this time Natsu had heard a large number of footsteps walking down the length of the beach.

He saw Erza, Gray, Lucy, and Sabbas along with what looked like a battalion of rune knights. Well, this should be interesting, Natsu thought.

* * *

Fifteen minutes earlier...

Erza and the others sat in the camp when they saw the approaching rune knights from over the hill that followed behind a few men atop horses. She stood abruptly and alerted the others to what she was gazing at. "Sabbas, stay behind us oaky," Erza said as the boy remarked.

"Okay," He spoke as he man on the horse came up to greet them.

"Hello, might you be the fairy tail mages that Officer Cain has told me about," The large man spoke in a stoic yet pleasant tone.

Erza gave the man a small smile and nodded her head. "Yes, that would be me and my teammates," Erza complied.

The man rode a white horse and wore a long-sleeve grey coat that went almost to his knees and was clasped with golden buttons on each side. He had a large golden-colored belt with tassels on one side. He wore cream-colored gloves and wore very tall black boots with spurs. Atop his head was a grey felt western hat. And adorning his belt was a saber. He was grey hair with a mustache and beard. Finally, he had a single gold star on either side of his collar.

"I am Brigadier General Herod, and from what I've been told. There is some corrupt business guy about. Thank you all for your work in solving this case is far more depth than the call of work required," The man spoke with proud confidence that made him seem an unquestionably honorable man.

"It was actually in part with the other team member that we solved this in the first place," Gray said as the General raised a brow.

"And where is this man you speak of?" General Herod asked.

"He went to deal with the serpent while we waited for the military to show," Erza spoke.

General Herod seemed surprised as he asked. "You let him fight that beast all by his lonesome?" He prodded.

"You would be surprised by his strength, he is quite the mage," Erza spoke as they all heard a large commotion in the bay. And they all saw first hand the small figure of a man climbing up the fin of the serpent. And to say that the General was surprised was in shock was an understatement. The other rune knights practically had their eyes pop out from their skull when they saw it.

"Wow, what courage under such a stressful situation," General Herod admired as Erza wore a worried face. She remembered well the last time Natsu faced a large beast such as this one. There was a flash of blue light atop the beasts head as it roared out and spun around.

Natsu was tossed to the shore as Erza then spoke. "Come on Gray, he might need help," Erza said as she started in Natsu direction.

"I'll be coming too, Lieutenant Nekoda, take company one, two and three and secure the town. Company four follow me," General Herod ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Lieutenant Nekoda saluted as he leads the rune knights into the town proper.

"Cain, you can accompany me with your friends here," Herod finalized as he and his company followed behind Erza and the others.

They all saw as they made there way around a rocky bluff and onto the beach that the beast was shooting water at the Natsu. But then with a flash, they all witnessed the blue electricity surge around him as they had to brace themselves from the gusts of wind that tried to blow them back. General Herod's horse grew nervous at this but then the wind died down.

The immense flash stopped and the beast had smoke coming from its mouth. It would seem that Natsu injured its insides with that attack and effectively brought it down. The beasts head crashed down and Natsu ended the fight with a final firey punch.

He looked over to them and was breathing heavier than usual.

"Well lad, I must say that's one of the most impressive displays I've seen. You truly are a skilled mage. I am Brigadier General Herod," The General held his hand out and Natsu shook it.

"The pleasure is all mine," Natsu said with a nonchalant tone.

"But I really need to be going if you don't mind. My associates can inform you about everything," Natsu said and he abruptly turned and walked off. The General seemed stunned that he would just up and leave like that. But Natsu had said he was leaving.

"Sorry about him sir, he's in a mood right now," Erza said as he merely nodded.

"Oh, I see. I wanted to speak to him some more. But alas. We need to apprehend those vile traitors," General Herod said.

* * *

An hour later the rune knight under General Herod's employ had rounded all the people associated with the plot. They were all cuffed behind there back. These people included Captain Ruether, Mayor Griffeld, the dark mages from Oahina, and a number of rune knights that were also part of the whole scheme.

The perpetrators were all put in the courtyard under the sharp gaze of Herod's men. Some of whom were special forces.

"And so you thought you could get away with this forever, didn't you," Herod spoke with a stern gaze.

"You sorry bastards! If it weren't for you," Ruether scorned as Herod turned his back.

"I've had enough of them, put them in the carts and take them back Lieutenant Nekoda," Herod ordered once more.

"Sir!" Nekoda spoke as he rounded up the lot of them and carted them off.

Herod stood atop the seawall that separated the base and the ocean. Erza and the others met him up there on his request and he spoke.

"I must thank you again, I knew there was something going on for a while. But I could never get anything solid. And so when I heard Cain's story. I was prepared with my men to finally snuff the two troublemakers out," Herod sighed.

"I will be staying here a few weeks to gain control of the area and reform some business dealing that was stopped since the serpent was here. But there is something I want to proposition you with," General Herod said turning to Erza.

The redhead raised a brow at this and then asked. "Of course, what is it?" The scarlet knight questioned.

"Now I will do some talking with the council, but I feel we need to dig deeper. And with the help of Fairy tail, we could find the root of the problem. And from what you tell me, your friend Dragneel is quite clever. And he very well might be onto something. So I want to work with Fairy tail," Herod spoke.

"We would love to help, of course, we need to go back to tell the master," Gray suggested.

"Of course, I understand. NOw I still have to work out the kinks with the council, but you would, of course, be paid and if need be have the full might of the council's forces on your side," Herod said.

"I understand, this sounds like a good plan," Erza smiled to the old general.

"No here me out. You will all leave and go home. I will talk to the counsel and contact you later in the week. And then once it is all finalized, you can help to solve this mystery that I have been tracking for many years," Herod said as he stroked his beard.

"What mystery is that?" Gray inquired.

"Well, this is definitely a sign of a very well connected dark guild. So high possibility of the Baram alliance. But I have a belief that there is another guild besides the main three," Herod said as Erza, Gray, and Lucy looked stunned.

"You really think there are more guilds within the alliance?" Erza questioned. This was a very touchy idea, if there are more than they thought, then that only adds more to worry about when it comes to the fight between light and dark guilds.

"Yes, this is a culmination of many years of work, but we have reports of a guild on par with the other three that are far more secretive than even them. Something my idea to be farfetched, but I do believe there are four guilds in the Baram alliance," Herod confirmed to the redhead.

"This is troubling indeed, and you think this is a connection to that guild?" Erza asked again.

"Yes, there was no evidence thus far of the other guild. Griffeld had told he was under the command of one from a powerful dark guild. But he said he only received orders, and that he never met him in person," Herod answered.

"I see, but the man could just be another underling of this guild," Erza said as she thought more on the matter.

"This is true, but something tells me this man was a part of the guild. He must have left by now though. The odd thing, however, is that even Griffled said he didn't know the name of the guild. He said he was just a small part of a large totem pole of underlings," Herod explained.

"I would like to say that I am fully committed to finding this guild. But there are still questions unanswered here," Gray spoke up as he looked very focused.

Erza nodded along with Herod. "The serpent is still a mystery," Erza spoke.

"Maybe you should ask your friend, he did fight the beast," Herod suggested to the redhead.

"You're right," Erza said in realization. She had not thought of it, however. Natsu did leave immediately after which didn't give room for questioning.

With this, Erza raised her hand and Herod shook it. "We will be ready when you say the word sir, we will be going to find our teammate now," Erza said as Herod gave a smirk.

"Yes, I understand, be careful now. It will only get worse from here on out. By the way, your reward is in the office with Cain, you don't want to forget that," General Herod laughed as they left the man to himself.

* * *

After they collected the reward and spoke with Cain once more, they left and were on the road back. Erza remembered something then and there and questioned the raven-haired boy.

"Sabbas, can you find Natsu's magic signature?" Erza questioned as the boy nodded.

"Yes, I am sensing him that way," Sabbas pointed to the southeast. "He's not too far from here," The boy added on.

"Thanks, kid," Gray said as he ruffled the kid's hair. They walked along the way to an alcove, and there was Natsu was sitting on the shoreline. He looked at them and stood abruptly. Erza was hesitant to approach, she could see the look on his face and she knew he was still pissed.

"Don't think I've forgotten. Were going to talk this out now," Natsu said in a dark tone.

Natsu then looked to Sabbas and spoke. "Sabbas, come sit and cover your ears for a little bit," Natsu said as the boy complied and sat down at the shore next to Natsu.

"What's going on?" The boy asked. "It's adult stuff okay," Natsu said as the boy then covered his ears.

Erza stood across from Natsu as Gray and Lucy were on the side. And it would seem that Erza would start this off.

"Look Natsu, I'm really sorry about what I said. I was just mad that you were insulting our capabilities," the scarlet knight said.

"I don't care what you say, I heard what you said. You think I don't belong. All you think I'm good for is fighting the fights you can't," Natsu gripped as Erza hesitated. Natsu seemed to think he proved his point.

"That's not true, and I don't really want you to leave. You're a part of this team. And whether you think so or not, we all respect you," Erza said as she gained an agreeable nod from Gray and Lucy.

"Well the way I see it, all you guys have done since we teamed up if gripe and scold my way of doing things. I already said I won't change just for you," Natsu glared at the redhead.

"We all got off to a bad start, but I think we need to start fresh and forget the past," Erza said with a pattern look.

"Don't you bullshit me, this is because you guys don't trust me," Natsu yelled.

"Natsu, I trust you, we trust you. Your the one who doesn't trust us. Why is that?" Erza tried to keep a level head through this whole thing.

"Because of this mission, Why did you think letting yourself be captured was a good idea. Sometimes I wish you would use your head," Natsu said as Erza fumed.

"This was what I was saying. You're insulting me, and you won't even admit it," Erza cried out.

"I don't have to explain myself, I just thought you were smarter than that. You jeopardized the mission! What would happen if I needed help?" Natsu asked in a bitter tone.

Erza looked down at her feet trying to avoid his gaze. It felt as if she was being scolded like a child. "I, I don't know okay," Erza said as she

"You want to know what I think, I think this team is a waste of effort. Your all dragging me down," Natsu said as he saw the looks he was getting from his teammates.

"If you really feel that way then I won't stop you, but," Erza said with a sour expression.

"But what?" Natsu questioned the redhead.

"I don't feel the same, and when you say these things, it makes it hard to forgive and forget all the things we question you about in the first place," Erza said.

"Why do you think I invited you in the first place. It's because your our friend, and I wanted to make sure you weren't alone," Erza spoke.

"Well thank you for the concern, but I think I've had enough of your bullshit," Natsu said as she turned to leave. Erza went to grab his hand as he turned around.

"Natsu, please. Don't go. You're a part of this whether you think so or not. And the team would just feel wrong without you. Even if you are temperamental all the time," Erza said with a pleading tone.

"I don't know," Natsu then turned to face her again. "What do I get out of just following you guys around. It can never work. I can't," Natsu said as he looked away from her gaze.

"You can what?" Erza questioned.

"I can't tell you. I just know that in the end. We can never be the team you think this is. And it's partly my fault. But I can't keep it up without, without. Screwing my own life up," Natsu said solemnly.

"Natsu, I don't understand, what are you trying to say?" Erza inquired. She was nor understanding what he as getting at. What Natsu, what do you need? Erza thought.

"That's enough of this," Natsu said as he turned away again.

"I can't tell you for personal reasons, okay," Natsu said.

"Okay, I won't pry. Everyone is entitled to there own secrets. But you should know, I care, we care. And I know you have things in your life that make you the person you are. And you will open up in time. But You shouldn't push those around you away. Okay. All your doing id hurting yourself," Erza said with a soft tone.

Natsu seemed to be in thought as he wondered if she was telling the truth. Maybe they won't turn me away if they knew the truth, Natsu thought.

"Alright, but I won't back down easily. And I won't forget what you said either. I hold grudges and for good reason," Natsu said as Erza nodded.

"Okay, just know we are here for you, and you're not alone," Erza said.

"Yeah, we'll support you no matter what you're going through. Because that's what friends do," Gray said as he put a hand on Natsu's shoulder.

"Don't worry, I think your a good person," Lucy said to the pinkete.

"Great, you guys are just terrific," Natsu sarcastically spoke as he felt like he was being crowded.

"You guys know I hate being crowded," Natsu said as they seemed to get a kick out of that.

"SO are we all good?" Erza asked the slayer.

"I suppose I can forgive you for now. But I'm still mad," Natsu answered.

He had a strange feeling in his chest. It had been a long time since he had ever gotten so worked up. But at the same time, he knew that he didn't want to go. But he felt a strange twisted irony in Erza's words that made him smile with guilt.

She said that he would never betray them. And that was the whole point of his being here. He was here to infiltrate Fairy tail. And for some reason, he had not sabotaged them as much as he imagined he was going to. He found himself just living. Living the life of a fairy tail wizard. And there was a funny way life twisted what you wanted.

He found himself liking something he was meant to destroy, and he would have to eliminate the people that gave him so much grief, so much bullshit, so much happiness? He was unsure if he was happy here. But all knew at the moment was that he did in fact like his teammates. Even if they annoyed him to no end.

* * *

September 19, X784, Magnolia

Back in Magnolia, the team trudged through the streets in mid-afternoon. The team had not said much to each other on the trip back. But at the least, they were not fighting anymore. Natsu was still pretty bitter about the whole thing and would be for a long time.

But it was just very hard to keep cool. But he just stayed quiet and walked along to the guild. Before they got to the guild Erza remembered something and even though it was most definitely a bad time, she had to know.

"Natsu, did you notice what was going on with that serpent and why it was there?" The scarlet knight asked the pinkete.

"It was created by a mage," Was all the slayer said as Erza, Gray, and Lucy widened their eyes in shock. Sabbas gave the pinkete a curious look before looking away.

"Something that big was summoned, that's not a good sign," Erza said in a foreboding tone.

"Someone able to summon that thing is incredible," Gray said as Lucy shivered at the thought.

"I could feel that serpent in the ocean," Sabbas spoke as some of the team looked to the boy.

"I bet you could, I'm sure any beast that size has lots of magic inside it," Gray said as Erza and Lucy nodded.

The five of them entered the guild and then most everyone glanced in there direction. Mira was not at the bar, so she was probably still stuck in her comatose state. The master raised an eyebrow at the boy who accompanied them. Others in the guild also noticed this interesting factor as well.

"Who's the kid?" Levy asked as she walked over. Many others crowded around and Natasu just about lost it.

"I'm out of here, you guys can tell the story," Natsu said as he went upstairs to many people's surprise and went into a spare room.

"Where the heck is he going, he's not supposed to be up there," Lucy said.

"He's not," Makarov said as he sighed. "But he seems quite irritable right now, and I know he doesn't like crowds," Makarov sad as some others nodded. In their minds, Natsu was just a special case.

"So you want to explain the kid?" Makarov said as he too was curious about the kid.

"Well he's going to be joining the guild," Erza said as the boy nodded.

"So lad, what king od magic do you use?" Makarov smiled.

Sabbas turned his heard in the man direction and then felt around with his hands until he found a bar stool. He then opted to sit on the stool. Some of the others were confused. But Makarov saw it immediately once the boy sat down.

"I don't know. But I know I can use it. My name is Sabbas," The boy smiled which made Makarov smile. "I see," the elder mage said.

"Well, we can fix that for you. I'm sure we'll find out what it is," Makarov confirmed.

"I don't know master, his magic is one I've never heard of," Erza said. "Yeah, it is quite the mystery," Gray tuned in.

"I might be able to find it in one of my books," Levy spoke as she gave the boy a smile. Sabbas turned to her and spoke.

"Really, that would be great," He spoke in a cheery voice.

Erza realizing some of the looks he was getting was about to speak up, but Sabbas beat her to the punch.

"I know what, you're thinking, and yes. But I can see quite well in my own way. I use magic," Sabbas said as they were all pleasantly surprised by his bold words.

Makarov was surprised at this evaluation and questioned. "How so?"

Sabbas went on to explain some of his abilities and Makarov was surprised, to say the least. "You were right Erza, I've never heard of magic like this one. Perhaps it was created just to suit him. That would be something," Makarov said.

By now most had gone onto there own business except for a few stragglers. "I think this magic of your is completely new, this is quite fascinating!" Levy said as she was now taking notes.

"By the way," Makarov started. "How did your mission fair?" He asked as he took a sip of his drink.

Erza looked down as she recalled the big fight that Natsu was still pretty sour about. And thus she, Gray and Lucy all explained with some intervening from Sabbas.

"I've heard of this General Herod, he's quite the reputable man. Maybe Gajeel and Laxus could help you. And Mira if she wakes up in time," Makarov said as he tried to remember all the mages that were quite skilled.

"Who knows, maybe even Mystogan will show up," Gray said with a sarcastic tone. And then from seemingly nowhere Juvia popped up and spoke out. "Juvia would like to help as well," She spoke as she tried to touch Gray.

"Hey watch out," Gray said with a slight blush crossing his face.

"Yes, this is good. If we can get all these members together, we should definitely be able to take on a dark guild," Erza said with a confident smirk.

"Who called my name?" The man said with a dark tone that made Lucy shiver. They looked to see Gajeel who had honestly been quite elusive since the phantom lord business.

"Oh perfect, were going to be hunting a dark guild. Would you like to join?" Erza more told than asked him. "Well Titania, That sounds like fun," Gajeel spoke with a grin.

"Who's going to be on the team?" The red-eyed slayer asked.

"Well so far, Me, Gray, Lucy, You, Juvia, and Natsu. But hopefully, we can get Laxus and Mira as well. And if we're lucky, we can get Mystogan as well," Erza said to the iron slayer.

"So Dragneel's on the team as well, huh," Gajeel remembered full well what Natsu had told him. And when he heard what happened to Mira, he thought maybe it was not exactly what happened. They say a snake, but Natsu never specified that fact.

"Yeah I know how you feel, but he's alright," Gray said to Gajeel. "Alright then," The red-eyed slayer said.

"What do you know about this guild?" Gajeel asked.

Erza thought a moment and then sighed in the realization. "Next to nothing, I'm afraid. All we found was a small branch of a much larger organization. I can't say for sure, but there are connections to the Baram alliance as well," Erza explained.

"Huh, sounds like it will be interesting. Gehehe," Gajeel grinned as he punched his open palm.

"I'll be there to help whenever you guys need me then," He spoke as he walked off.

"Erza," Makarov said as he scratched his chin.

"Yes master, what is it?"

"Do you think you can handle this. Even with all the might of Fairy tail, do you think we can take them," Makarov said surprising the rest of them. What was he talking about? Of course, they could take them. Right? The master never showed signs of fear or hesitation before when facing an enemy, so why now?

"I don't know master, but I believe in our strength. And I believe we can trust the council as well. I don't know what will happen. But I willing to place the bet that we will win," Erza said in a mildly direct manner. She herself was unsure. There was no telling how strong these men could be and if they were connected to the Baram Alliance, then there was a whole basket of problems they were about to face.

Makarov smiled in contempt and gave a light chuckle. "Then I will allow you to go. Just promise you won't all die on me."

"Erza and the others smiled at this ad they nodded their heads. "Don't worry gramps, I don't plan on dying anytime soon," Gray smirked as he thrust his fist into the air.

* * *

September 20, X784, Magnolia

The next day came soon and Erza had tried contacting Laxus and Mystogan to no avail. But she sent them alternate messages in the hopes to get their help. But the way things were looking right now, there were only going to have six members on their team. Mira was still paralyzed and there was little to nothing they could do to help her now.

Erza looked around the guild to see that her team members were scattered around the guild. With the exception of Natsu. She had not seen him since he stormed off yesterday and it was getting on her nerves. She understands that he is still bitter, but it is no need to just going brooding about all by himself.

The redhead sighed as she thought more of the dragon slayer. She knows she fucked up and now he was going to be stand-offish for a while. But then a thought came to her head that got her thinking. Maybe she could talk to him one on one and perhaps try to get back to his better side. Erza would not say she has ever seen his good side, but it was slow going trying to convince that stubborn man.

And so she lifted her self from her seat at the bar and sought out the seldom found Natsu. Taking a left at after she exited the guild, she went in the direction that she heard he was now living. It was only recently but he built a quaint house out in the woods. And so she would check there first.

And so after the scarlet knight made her way into the outskirts, she could smell smoke coming from in front of her. See this as a good sign she trudged on. ANd low and behold, there was a house that looked to be a sort of log cabin. There was smoke coming from a cobblestone chimney and she was surprised that he had built this himself. It looked strong and tough just like he was.

Erza then proceeded to open the door to his house to find him walking around with no shirt on. She stared at him with a slight look of embarrassment.

"If you don't want to see me walk around barechested, then you shouldn't just barge into my house," Natsu said as he glanced at her with seemingly cold eyes.

"It's fine, skinship between friends is good," Erza said in a manner that made her even more embarrassed.

Natsu gave the redhead a curious look before going back to stirring a pot that was over the fire. "Your weird, you know that," Natsu said as he took a taste of the soup and walked over to a large table that had a cutting board on. He proceeded to dice an onion and then scrape the bits into the cooking pot.

"Hey! I'm not weird," Erza retorted in frustration. But the smell of the house was too overbearing and it made her hungry.

"I would beg to differ," Natsu said as he put the lid to the pot on and left it to cook. He sat on a chair that was part of a table set. The wooden table and chairs were dark-colored wood and were simple in design.

Curiosity washed over Erza as she smelled the magnificent aroma filling the air. "What are you making?" Erza asked the pinkete.

"What do you think smart stuff," Natsu spoke sarcastically as Erza fumed.

"Why do you have to be this way," Erza said in almost a whisper, but Natsu heard it quite well.

Natsu saw her reaction and it was the opposite one then she had expected. He thought she would just get angry again but she seemed to be saddened by his remark.

"It just a beef soup with vegetables, you can have some if you like," Natsu suggested and he pointed tot eh seat adjacent from him.

Erza sat down and she requiped her armor off leaving her white blouse. Natsu stared a moment at her as at this moment she looked very pure in that white. "I didn't know someone like you could cook," Erza remarked as she looked at eh dragon slayer.

"What's that supposed to mean, someone like me?" Natsu irritably said.

"It's just that your a fighter, and I know for a fact that Gray can't cook," Erza said.

"Don't ever compare me to that blue-faced bastard," Natsu growled as Erza just sighed.

"You know Natsu, you will never make friends if you keep insulting everyone around you," Erza said in a worried voice. He was always so distant, it was hard to know what was going on in that head of his. But she wanted so direly to know so she could help him.

"I'm sorry that you are all pathetic, I just have higher standards."

"Damnit Natsu. What is your problem, what have we done to you?!" Erza yelled as she stood from the chair and put her fists to the table. Natsu stared at her with an acute glance.

"Do you want to be all alone? Why do you insist on pushing us away?!" Erza said with an undertone of sadness in her voice that audibly apparent to the pinkete.

Natsu glanced down to his hands as he twiddled his thumbs. He was unsure how to handle this, and Erza was so adamant about him. It was oblivious to him that she cared for greatly. But All he could feel was the sense of pity she resonated around her as she spoke to him. It was like she felt bad that he was alone most of the time and that he never got along with anybody in the guild. At least not for long.

Erza seemed to calm down as she pulled her chair closer to Natsu and sat down.

"Natsu looked at me," Erza said as he stared intently at him. Natsu put on his normally nonchalant face and he looked to her with a slight glare.

"We are alone right now, and you can tell me anything. I just a to help Natsu," Erza almost pleaded to him.

Natsu grew furious as he stood up. "Have you ever thought that I'm sick of you and you wanting to help me! I don't need your pity Erza!" Natsu shouted as Erza found a tear streaming down her face. She was trying so hard to help. But she guesses it was a matter of pride for him. He was a proud man.

"I've told you that all I want is for you to leave me alone!" Natsu said as Erza stood up and slapped Natsu in the face and she turned and stormed off.

Natsu was stunned as she saw her face before she left. She was crying, and she looked so confused as well.

"Damnit," Natsu said as he hit his palms to his head and sat in the chair. He stayed hunched over as he thought of what he just did. This was all his fault. And now it seemed that he pushed away from the only person who was trying to understand and reach out.

And for now, Natsu didn't feel hungry anymore.

* * *

Erza walked back through the doors of the guild with a pissed looked on her face. Her eyes seemed a little red and she sat down at the bar and put her head down. A few noticed this and walked over to her in concern, the perpetrators being Lucy and Gray.

"Are you alright?"Lucy asked.

But then Erza glared at them and the tow shivered in their spots. "No, I'm fine," Erza enunciated the last word as the two seemed to get the message and they backed off.

"What do you think happened?" Gray questioned the Blonde.

"Well if there is anything that can make her that mad," Lucy said and then the tow thought in unison and then said it aloud.

"Natsu," They spoke as they both wondered what it was he had done this time.

* * *

**To be Continued...**

**Well, I hope you didn't mind the wait too long, I've been quite busy lately. Anyway, I hope you liked this one and I will send the next one your way in about two weeks or so. **

**I know what some of you are thinking and maybe I'm wrong. But I know I keep having my pairing fight and that is part of the drama of the story. As you may know, there is tension between the two and Natsu keeps trying to push away the other. Has he succeeded or has he only sparked Erza's ambition even more. **

**Anyway, I always like comments and criticism and I hope you guys offer plenty. It helps me nonetheless. **

**As I have said, we will be starting a new arc now that is of my own creation. It will have twists and turned and dramatic scenes that I think you all will like and enjoy. It will last at least four chapters and quite possibly eight chapters depending on how it plays out in my mind. **

**Don't forget to check back to the begging of chapter 16 for details on the original characters so you are all caught up. **

**Anyway, I hope you all have a great day and prepare for the next one! Chapter 18!**


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